The red carpet is rolling up for “Kim Kardashian: Hollywood,” the casual mobile game that let players create their own aspiring virtual celebrity. The game, after launching nearly a decade ago, was a smash hit — and pulled in millions of dollars in revenue over its run.
In the free-to-play game, launched in June 2014, the goal was for players to boost their fame to rise from the “E-list” and achieve stardom on the A-list by choosing their own story “filled with runway fashion, fame and celebrities.” The title also featured the actor and reality TV star’s family members, including Khloé Kardashian, Kourtney Kardashian and Kris Jenner, and let players jet-set to clubs, boutiques and luxury homes in L.A., Tokyo, Paris and other locales.
“I’m so grateful from the bottom of my heart to everyone who has loved and played ‘Kim Kardashian: Hollywood‘ in the past 10 years,” Kardashian said in a statement to People. “This journey has meant so much to me but I’ve realized that it’s time to focus that energy into other passions. I want to thank the Glu team and the many people behind the scenes who have worked diligently on making it a success.”
In its first two years, the game reportedly generated more than $157 million in sales. Glu Mobile, the game’s developer, did not break out lifetime revenue for the title, but the game continued to perform well: The company, in reporting full-year 2020 financial results, credited the “resurgence” of “Kim Kardashian: Hollywood” for boosting its earnings. The game allowed players to make in-app purchases of virtual currency to acquire in-game items such as clothing, shoes, accessories as well as accelerate their progress.
In a Jan. 3 post on its user forums, Glu said “Kim Kardashian: Hollywood” effective immediately will no longer offer in-app purchases and was removed from Apple’s App Store and Google Play Store. Players who already have the game installed on their devices can continue to play “Kim Kardashian: Hollywood” and use any existing in-game virtual currency until April 8, 2024 — after which the game will stop working for all players.
“Thank you for your support of ‘Kim Kardashian: Hollywood.’ You’ll always be on our A-List!” Glu said in the sunset notice for the game.
Glu Mobile, founded in 2001, was acquired by Electronic Arts in 2021 for $2.1 billion.
