You don’t get to 220 million downloads without making a few dating sims.
Mobile-gaming publisher Animoca has announced that it has reached 220 million total downloads across its entire library of games for iOS and Android. As the company reaches that milestone, it is also releasing its latest title, Star Girl: Valentine Hearts.
A dating and fashion role-playing game, Star Girl: Valentine Hearts is the latest entry in the Star Girl franchise. Players can carry over their character from the previous games in the series, including the Christmas release. They take on the role of the titular Star Girl as she competes in beauty pageants and goes on dream dates.
GamesBeat reached out to Animoca chief executive David Kim to find out how games like Star Girl: Valentine Hearts helped it reach 220 million total downloads.
“There are a number of factors that have allowed us to reach 220 million downloads,” said Kim. “One is that we decided early on not to focus on big hits but instead on building what we call the ‘app supermarket’ approach, in which we can offer something for many different kinds of audience.”
In addition to Star Girl, Animoca has released other popular mobile games, like its Thor: Lord of Storms RPG and its Astro Boy Dash endless runner.
“Another reason for our success is that we have developed very strong international and distribution capabilities, allowing us to succeed in countries where other developers may struggle to break through,” said Kim. “Strategies like these have become the cornerstone of our success, and that’s why we feel we are well positioned to enjoy sturdy growth in the future.”