Kim Kardashian’s popular, free-to-play mobile game is in its final months, the billionaire announced last week. The closure is not sitting well with some of the hardcore fans who have been building in-game clout over the past decade from their phones.
Kim Kardashian: Hollywood tasks users with moving from the E-list in Tinsel Town all the way to the upper rungs of society.
Players run chic boutiques, attend club and store openings, and star in photoshoots. They also start families and own property across the globe. They can use in-game and real-world currency to customize their avatars.
“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 Straight Arrow News. “This journey has meant so much to me but I’ve realized that it’s time to focus that energy into other passions.”
Users can’t download the app anymore as stores have removed it. The game will officially shut down for existing users April 8, according to a pop-up message from in-game reporter Ray Powers that greets players the moment they start the app. At that point, all of the in-game purchases and currency will disappear.
Initially released in 2014, Kim Kardashian: Hollywood was a huge success, reaching 42 million downloads and $157 million in sales its first two years, despite being free to play.
“This journey has meant so much to me but I’ve realized that it’s time to focus that energy into other passions.”
Kim Kardashian on closure of mobile game
The birth of microtransactions
Microtransactions have become a huge part of gaming over the last two decades, allowing people to spend real money to buy virtual goods within a game’s ecosystem.
These transactions are generally $5 and under but can get far more expensive. They are most prominent in free-to-play mobile games, which have been dubbed “freemium,” but they appear in games across all platforms.
Microsoft first brought the idea to the table in 2005 as it launched the Xbox 360 console and its brand-new marketplace. The next year, Bethesda Studios sold the Horse Armor Pack for $2.50 in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.
The global microtransaction market grew to $76.66 billion in 2023 and is expected to reach $117.95 billion in 2027, according to The Business Research Company.
In most “freemium” mobile games, microtransactions allow you to pay to progress. They also often offer cosmetic upgrades like skins and emotes. Loot boxes randomize the experience but have many regulators comparing the process to gambling.
Microtransaction trouble
The ease of making microtransactions has turned into a nightmare for some. There was a 6-year-old Connecticut boy who spent $16,000 of his parents’ money on an iPad game, a Belgian boy who charged $50,000 to his grandfather’s credit card for in-game gold in a mobile game, and a Chinese teen who depleted her family’s savings by spending $64,000 on mobile games over four months.
Recently, the Federal Trade Commission accused Fortnite-maker Epic Games of using tricks known as “dark patterns” to charge players without informed consent. The FTC ordered Epic to pay $245 million in refunds for unwanted microtransactions. Gamers have until the end of February to apply.
Fortnite made $1.1 billion in mobile revenue alone before being banned from the Google Play and Apple App stores. The ban was over the gaming company creating a direct payment system to work around app store transaction fees, which resulted in big-time lawsuits between the three tech giants.