The Unprecedented, Unexpected Success Of The Kim Kardashian: Hollywood Game

It’s a game for girls: All glitz and glamour. But it raked in $74 Million USD in 2014 alone, and is expected to hit the $200 Million mark in 2015.

Glu Mobile went on a field trip to Hollywood and handpicked Kim Kardashian West to be the face of their widely successful app. Then, they released the Kim Kardashian: Hollywood game in June 2014. Since then, tech, business and entertainment insiders have been in disbelief about how much the app is raking in. Believe it or not, the game raked in $1.6 Million in the five days right after its launch. It’s the type of insane profits from a seemingly wildcard decision that dreams—or more funds for Kim Kardashian West’s lifestyle—are made of.

Kim Kardashian West thanks her husband Kanye West every day for pushing her to work on the project with Glu Mobile. She has credited her husband for how she gave the go-signal to work on the app in almost all the interviews she’s done on the topic.

When asked about the profit model for the app, which largely revolves around in-app purchases, she makes a note to parents for them to “be responsible.” She advises parents of kids and teens who play the game to be responsible in managing their credit cards on behalf of their kids. In fact, she relates how her sister Kylie Jenner asked her for cheats to the game, because apparently, Kylie blew about $300 in the game’s in-app purchases. In-app purchases may be needed to level up in the game.

For Kim, the game is just that—a game. She likens it to Candy Crush: It’s all about fun, de-stressing, and there’s absolutely nothing serious about it. For parents whose credit card bills have skyrocketed, they may well disagree.

Game enthusiasts complain about how the game is just a re-skinned version of Stardom: Hollywood, but Kim Kardashian and the game’s fans can’t seem to tell the difference. It’s undeniable: It’s Kim’s brand that took the app to its unprecedented success, and nothing seems to be stopping the Kim Kardashian: Hollywood money train from moving forward at breakneck speed. In terms of profits, that is.

And “profits” is the word, as many sources from varied sectors speculate that the game may well be Kim’s biggest cash cow, so far.

Thanks to the success of the Kim Kardashian: Hollywood game, Glu Mobile is now in talks to create and release a game based on pop icon Katy Perry.

Download the game, keep an in-app purchase budget and stick to it, or keep your credit card off of Google Play altogether. As Kim advised, spend responsibly.