Kim Kardashian Defends Her Wildly Addictive Video Game, Telling Parents To 'Be Responsible' For In-App Purchases

Advertisement

kim kardashian hollywood game

Kim Kardashian: Hollywood/Screenshot

Kim Kardashian has faced a lot of backlash over her wildly popular new video game "Kim Kardashian: Hollywood," with many parents complaining that their children are spending hundreds of dollars on in-app purchases.

Advertisement

New York Times best-selling author Ayelet Waldman lashed out on Twitter last week, calling Kardashian an "evil scumbag" after finding out her son spent $120 on in-app purchases like more playing time, virtual clothing, and other material goods after Waldman claimed, "Kardashian Hollywood bypassed our in-app purchase controls."

But Kardashian, who is set to make a whopping $85 million this year from the app alone, is defending her addictive video game.

kim kardashian video game

today.com

"You just have to make sure that your parental controls are all set," Kardashian told Matt Lauer on Monday's "Today Show" regarding reports of outrageous spending on in-app purchases.

"You just have to make sure that your parental controls are all set," the reality star told Matt Lauer on Monday's "Today Show." "I think you just have to be responsible, and don't have your credit card linked to where your kid can just spend if they want to, or ask permission."

It's "just a fun little game," Kardashian added, "Kind of like when people get into Candy Crush so much. Like, is it good to be obsessed with Candy? It's just something fun to do. All games, I think, are just entertaining."

Advertisement

But now, "Kim Kardashian: Hollywood" is even crushing King Digital Entertainment, the maker of the popular game "Candy Crush."

Deutsche Bank downgraded the media company Wednesday, in part because "Competition within casual gaming is intense, with Kim Kardashian: Hollywood and 2048 going after the same demographics."

Kardashian told Lauer that the company behind the app, Glu Mobile, has been "very pleased with their numbers."

Within its first week of release, Bloomberg News reported Kardashian's first iOS game was already on track to earn over $200 million.

"I didn't think it would do this well, and I wasn't underestimating it at all, but I'm really pleasantly surprised with how it's turned out," she said.

Advertisement

Kardashian's personal payday will reportedly be $85 million this year - three times what she earned in 2013, according to Forbes.

"It might be our biggest game of the year," Glu Mobile CEO Niccolo de Masi previously said in an interview. "We're not surprised. Kim is a one-of-a-kind talent with an incredibly precise fit to the game engine that we tailored but already had in the company."

Watch Kardashian defend the video game to Matt Lauer below: