Copycat HTML5 Game Hits #2 on iOS
For Mobile Game & HTML5 Devs, this story is a cautionary tale; success on one platform can lead to exploitation on another.
VoltekPlay developed Diapers, Please! in just a week for a Game Jam, launching it as a free HTML5 game on itch.io on Feb’23. The Game, inspired by Papers, Please, challenges players to match newborns with their parents based on visual traits.
Just 3 days later, an iOS game called My Baby or Not! appeared on the App Store—looking identical to Diapers, Please! The SS, Gameplay & Description were copied word-for-word:
“Immerse yourself in an alternative 1920s world where a totalitarian state and impeccable bureaucracy conceal deep secrets…”
VoltekPlay sounded the alarm, writing on itch.io: “It’s literally just our game, wrapped in a mobile shell—uploaded without our permission by someone who didn’t contribute at all.”
While Apple erased the stolen games, it’s unclear if Benyssef will keep his profits. Meanwhile, VoltekPlay earned nothing and paid legal fees.
A Viral Success For the Copycat
VoltekPlay first suspected something was off when they noticed a sudden spike in Google searches for their game. A quick poll revealed the culprit: viral TikTok videos featuring the stolen iOS version.
Some TikTok users mentioned Diapers, Please! by name, helping thousands find the original. But how many others unknowingly paid $2.99 for the copy?
My Baby or Not! hit #2 on the iOS Casual Games chart, amassing 20,000 downloads in just days.
A Pattern of Theft?
The App Store credited My Baby or Not! to Marwane Benyssef, an unknown developer with no prior history in mobile gaming. His only other iOS game? Kiosk Food Night Shift—which appears to be another direct copy of an HTML5 game originally posted on itch.io.
VoltekPlay quickly filed a DMCA takedown, but Apple initially responded by encouraging them to “resolve the claim directly” with the alleged thief. However, Apple soon removed Benyssef’s entire developer page and all of his games from the App Store.
Apple’s Selective Protection?
Apple’s guidelines warn against blatant clones but focus on protecting games already on the App Store, not HTML5 titles published on open platforms. This loophole has led to widespread cloning issues, much like the flood of Wordle clones that took days to remove in 2022.
VoltekPlay notes that using Godot Engine made Diapers, Please! easy to decompile and repackage for iOS. Some developers now advise encrypting and obfuscating code to prevent similar theft.
Who likes this Copycat world? Let’s get rid of it altogether!
Source: Reddit & ArsTechnica
