Clash of Kings from Elex-tech is no doubt popular because its name closely resembles the top-grossing mobile game Clash of Clans from Supercell. But that alone doesn’t explain why it has become so popular in some countries.
Elex-tech announced today that the game was the No. 2 title on the top-grossing apps on Google Play in Russia in April, based on data from market researcher App Annie. Critics may say that copycat games of any kind won’t last, but Clash of Kings has lasted for a while. It may be similar to others, but if players decide it looks better than the older games that it copies, then Clash of Kings may have staying power.
Clash of Kings may also benefit from the fact that one of the George R.R. Martin novels in the A Song of Ice and Fire series (the basis of HBO’s popular Game of Thrones TV show) is A Clash of Kings. Despite these seemingly obvious copycat tactics, or perhaps because of them, the nine-month-old game keeps climbing in the charts. It was in the top-grossing apps on Google Play last year.
In Russia, Clash of Kings is the only app other than Game of War and Clash of Clans to achieve this ranking so far in 2015 and remain there for over a month, Hong Kong-basd Elex-tech said. To date, the fantasy kingdoms strategy game has been downloaded more than 40 million times.
The company noted that Clash of Clans spent considerably more time at No. 2 in March, but Clash of Kings came on strong at the end of the month, setting the stage for the possibility of Clash of Kings surpassing Clash of Clans as the No. 2 app on Google Play for the month of April. Morever, Elex-tech said that Clash of Kings was also able to push Empire: Four Kingdoms aside and reach No. 5 top grossing in Germany. In the U.S., App Annie says the company is No. 252 on the top-grossing ranks on Google Play.
Clash of Kings looks a lot like Machine Zone’s Game of War: Fire Age, which has consistently been in the top three top-grossing games in the world. You could argue that the game is a clone of both Clash of Clans and Game of War, but it also has graphics that are more appealing. Elex-tech also takes pride in that its game has a sense of humor.
Elex-tech has been trying to boost its awareness through TV commercials being broadcast in Germany and Russia. The company hopes to gain a wider audience by “treating our players like kings and queens.”
Elex-tech has more than 500 employees.