During the past few months, Glu Mobile (NASDAQ: GLUU) has been hard at work perfecting their upcoming mobile game featuring rap star Nicki Minaj. The mobile game company has managed to find success with their recent acquisition of Crowdstar. The acquisition led to the successful launch of Design Home. Meanwhile, the company’s Katy Pretty: Pop has seemingly been removed from Apple’s App Store and Google Play. James Bond: World Of Espionage has also disappeared from both platforms. As the old saying goes, out with the old and in with the new.
Glu Mobile will follow this aged old advice when they launch the upcoming Nicki Minaj game. According to a recent Instagram post from the star herself, Nicki Minaj: The Empire will be released on the star’s birthday, December the 8th. The game will follow the same setup, which proved to be enormously successful with Kim Kardashian: Hollywood. Players will assume the role of an aspiring rapper and work their way up the ladder. Additional features are provided below.
- Players will be able to record their own rap verses over hot beats
- Recordings can be shared with friends
- Game will feature Nicki Minaj and off-beat rapper Kidd Cray
- Gamers will be given the opportunity to become a success and purchase a penthouse fit for a king or queen
- Player can manipulate their wardrobe and purchase furniture for their crib
According to the game’s App Store page, players will also be able to interact with one another in clubs. Private chat rooms are also available. The new additions may help to keep players returning to The Empire for a longer period of time. Glu Mobile will ultimately hope this equates to longer playtime and bigger profits. The rap star has around 20 million followers on Twitter, 42 million likes on Facebook, and 69 million followers on Instagram. So, she definitely has substantial reach.
While Minaj’s following is slightly smaller than Kim Kardashian, the differential is truly minute. Will Glu Mobile be able to bring home a profitable Christmas? Or will they be left with a lump of coal? The combination of new features and innovative gameplay may very well be enough to lure in casual gamers. Be sure to look out for the game’s release in the upcoming week.