Brace yourselves: People are spending an ungodly amount of money on Kim Kardashian's mind-numbing iOS game, "Kim Kardashian: Hollywood."
While the game is free to download, getting famous is not. At least not unless you'd prefer to wait for hours on end for your avatar to recharge itself with enough energy to attend all the photo shoots and club openings necessary to journey from the E-list to the A-list without spending close to $500, as Jezebel writer Tracie Egan Morrissey did.
Shockingly, Morrissey isn't the only one willing to shell out hard-earned dollars on Kardashian's game. Plenty of people are spending their money on the surprisingly high-rated game to zip up the ranks and earn their place at the top of the A-list. According to Bloomberg News, since its release on June 25, "Kim Kardashian: Hollywood" has peaked at the second most-downloaded free game in Apple's U.S. App Store, and currently is the third most-downloaded free game.
In-app purchases from the game have driven shares of creator Glu Mobile Inc. up 42 percent, and one analyst estimates that the game is on track to reach $200 million in revenue this year.
“There’s no such thing as bad publicity, right?” Douglas Creutz, an analyst with Cowen & Co. told Bloomberg News. “Obviously, Kim Kardashian’s brand has driven people to download the game. But at this point, the game has taken on a life of its own.”
No word as to how much of a cut Kardashian is getting from the game, but no doubt it will only add millions to her growing fortune. In June, Forbes reported that the 33-year-old had a banner year, making more than she ever has, raking in an estimated $28 million over the last 12 months.
While the game is free to download, getting famous is not. At least not unless you'd prefer to wait for hours on end for your avatar to recharge itself with enough energy to attend all the photo shoots and club openings necessary to journey from the E-list to the A-list without spending close to $500, as Jezebel writer Tracie Egan Morrissey did.
Shockingly, Morrissey isn't the only one willing to shell out hard-earned dollars on Kardashian's game. Plenty of people are spending their money on the surprisingly high-rated game to zip up the ranks and earn their place at the top of the A-list. According to Bloomberg News, since its release on June 25, "Kim Kardashian: Hollywood" has peaked at the second most-downloaded free game in Apple's U.S. App Store, and currently is the third most-downloaded free game.
In-app purchases from the game have driven shares of creator Glu Mobile Inc. up 42 percent, and one analyst estimates that the game is on track to reach $200 million in revenue this year.
“There’s no such thing as bad publicity, right?” Douglas Creutz, an analyst with Cowen & Co. told Bloomberg News. “Obviously, Kim Kardashian’s brand has driven people to download the game. But at this point, the game has taken on a life of its own.”
No word as to how much of a cut Kardashian is getting from the game, but no doubt it will only add millions to her growing fortune. In June, Forbes reported that the 33-year-old had a banner year, making more than she ever has, raking in an estimated $28 million over the last 12 months.
