Despite the fact that her husband Kanye West announced on Twitter that he needs Mark Zuckerberg's help to get out of a $53 million debt, the cash keeps rolling in for Kim Kardashian — thanks to her hit role-playing app.
Fans of the first family of reality television have probably been obsessed with the ladies' individual apps that give them another way to peek deeper into the Kardashian members' personal lives since they were released earlier this year. Then, there was the Kimoji app and its recent update, which included animated emojis that pretty much broke the Internet — or rather, the App Store.
However, Kim K's interest and success in mobile apps actually goes back to the first title she released, Kim Kardashian: Hollywood. According to the numbers, deciding to release a mobile game where players work their way up the social ladder was a smart move, proving once again Kardashian is one hell of a businesswoman.
As if the Kardashian empire didn't make enough money, Glu Mobile, the publisher behind Kim Kardashian: Hollywood, revealed that the game has made more than $100 million in its first five quarters.
What's even more impressive or ridiculous about this figure (depending on whether you love or love to hate the star) is that Kim Kardashian: Hollywood is free-to-play, with in-app purchases. That's right, players have spent $100 million buying personal jets and cars and dressing and accessorizing their avatar to be just like a Kardashian using real-life money.
No one said is was cheap to keep up with the Kardashians' virtual lavish lifestyle.
Niccolo de Masi, CEO of Glu Mobile, revealed the app's major money milestone while highlighting the game's impact and success during the DICE Summit in Las Vegas on Wednesday. This figure makes us believe that the game is on track to become one of the most success mobile games released. Kayne would be so proud.
However, de Masi also announced that, since its launch in the summer of 2014, Kim Kardashian: Hollywood has been downloaded 42 million times, with 3.29 billion individual sessions logged, which is the equivalent of players spending 35,000 years in the game.
The CEO credits the success of the game to the fact that Kardashian often shares information about new updates and features directly to her fans on her social media accounts, which have about 100 million followers altogether. The game continues to evolve with whatever is occurring in the star's life, such as being able to vacation in St. Barts, as seen in a recent Keeping Up With the Kardashians episode. This means the game will never run out of fresh content, as fans feel like they too can be part of Kim's world.
It looks like younger sisters Kendall and Kylie Jenner may tap into that success with the launch of their new mobile game. Launched on Wednesday for iOS and Android, Kendall & Kylie is a new mobile game that follows in the footsteps of Kim Kardashian: Hollywood, where players create their fashionista avatar and befriend the famous sisters with the goal to be Internet-famous.
Glu Mobile's CEO revealed at the DICE Summit that the game is currently the number one free app.
The publisher will continue to release celebrities games, with Taylor Swift expected to release her own title later this year.
Source: GameSpot
