‘Kardashian’ game maker Glu creating Jenner sisters game

By DERRIK J. LANG
AP Entertainment Writer

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — Glu Mobile is keeping up with the Kardashians.

The mobile video game developer responsible for the popular “Kim Kardashian: Hollywood” game announced plans Tuesday to create a game starring Kardashian half-sisters Kendall and Kylie Jenner.

The San Francisco-based creator of free-to-play games said the title will feature the likenesses, voices and creative influences of the 19- and 17-year-old “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” co-stars and models, who previously popped up in Kardashian’s game.

“Kim Kardashian: Hollywood,” which casts players a Kardashian protege attempting to reach the A-list, has been a hit for the San Francisco-based company. Last month, Glu Mobile Inc. reported a better-than-expected fourth-quarter profit.

In an interview Tuesday, Glu Mobile CEO Niccolo de Masi said he believes the game maker can repeat the success it achieved with the Kardashian mobile game.

“I think there’s room for us to keep growing out these types of games with differentiation,” de Masi said. “Kendall and Kylie are kind of a different generation than Kim. They’re Generation Z. Kim’s followers are in their late 20s and 30s, and Kendall and Kylie’s followers are in their teens and early 20s. The aspirations won’t be the same.”

The game starring the Jenner sisters is part of a larger focus on celebrity-based games for Glu Mobile, which announced plans last month to develop a game starring pop singer Katy Perry. De Masi noted that Glu Mobile has entered into five-year exclusive partnerships with Kardashian, Perry and the Jenner sisters, and he envisions the games as longtime projects that will evolve with the celebs.

“I think you’re going to see gaming become more important to Hollywood talent in the next few years,” de Masi said. “We’re really leading that initiative. Glu is a one-stop shop for talent to not only generate content but also drive revenues directly with this audience base. There are no labels or studios involved. It’s the new Hollywood.”

De Masi said the Perry game is expected to launch this fall, followed later this year by the Jenner sisters game, both for Apple and Android devices.

“Katy’s game could absolutely be bigger (than Kim’s) because she has twice as many social followers, and it’s in the music space,” de Masi said. “We haven’t done anything in the music space. I look at it like this: The first person who put out a record wasn’t the biggest. They were first and that helped, but the reality is I think this category is going to grow from strength to strength.”

Kylie and Kendall Jenner, the daughters of Kris and Bruce Jenner, have been spending as much time in the spotlight as their older sisters in recent years. The pair released a book, the dystopian saga “Rebels: City of Indra,” and Kendall walked the runway earlier this year in shows at New York, London, Paris and Milan fashion weeks.

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Follow AP Entertainment Writer Derrik J. Lang at http://www.twitter.com/derrikjlang .

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