Kim Kardashian is the alchemist of Hollywood. She has built a gilded empire of reality television shows, clothing and makeup lines, and endless product endorsements out of sex tape fame, and now she can add gaming success to her growing assets.
Launched on June 25, Kim Kardashian: Hollywood is on track, after less than a month, to hit $200 million dollars in revenue through in-app purchases by the end of the year, according to a report by Bloomberg released yesterday. Currently, the game rests comfortably as the third most-downloaded free-to-play game in Apple’s U.S. App Store, boasting a coveted five-star rating.
Photo via iTunes
The game, developed by Glu Mobile, allows players to live the jet set, celebrity life of a Kardashian. Kim walks you through each step in clawing your way to the top of the A-list as you pose on red carpets, go clubing, buy luxury homes, and adorning yourself in expensive jewelry. “Dating famous people will get you more fans, too,” an experienced Kim instructs.
Free to play, the game hopes to hook users on in-app purchases to expedite their rise through the ranks of celebrity. You can buy star packs and cash stacks, with iTunes quoting the most popular in-app purchases ranging from $3.99 to $59.99.
Jezebel’s Tracey Egan Morrissey cataloguged spending almost $500 playing Kim Kardashian: Hollywood recently. “I’m part of what’s wrong with modern American culture,” Morrissey wrote. “But at least in Kim’s realm I’m an A-list celebrity with 50 million fans—after nearly $500 worth of in-app purchases, of course.”
That mentality is exactly what has driven up Glu Mobile’s stock 42 percent. “We’re not surprised,” said CEO Niccolo de Masi. “Kim is a one-of-a-kind talent with an incredibly precise fit to the game engine that we tailored but already had in the company.”
H/T Gamespot | Photo via David Shankbone/Wikimedia
