The Kim Kardashian: Hollywood game has hit #1 in the App Store with a 5-star rating and over 140,000 reviews. It is slated to generate a whopping $200 million in annual revenue and the stock price for the company that created it, Glu Mobile, doubled in the last month.
The game had become so popular, that people were spending real money on virtual dollars to buy fashion accessories and go on fake-dates.
The beginning of the game is pretty typical for most players. You start off as a poor shop clerk who no one has ever head of, lacking recognition on any list. Some players are unfortunate enough to remain stranded on the E-list for weeks after starting.
But why is the game so oddly addicting? San Francisco-based Glu Mobile's intention when creating the game was to not take it too seriously and involve some humor. The Sims-like game allows you to rise through lists until you are officially an A-list celebrity.
The challenges in the game include beating the paparazzi, getting into Twitter wars with rival celebrities and dating as many other famous celebrities as possible.
The game rewards its users with dollars and K Coins - rewards for completing tasks like networking and dating. When you are low on money, the app encourages players to spend their own cash to live the Hollywood dream, digitally.
The game also lets you interact with friends in a hilarious manner. You can tease them about their D-list status, take them out on dates and send them screenshots of whatever you are doing in the game. Although this sounds basic, not many games in the App Store allow multiplayer functionality, so this can be refreshing for users.
According to TMZ, Kim Kardashian holds a 45 percent stake in the game and will make $85 million from it.
