Flappy Bird’s earnings pale in comparison with these big players
When Flappy Bird creator Nguyen Ha Dong revealed he was making over $50,000 (£30,250) a day from the game, before he removed it from distribution, pundits were certainly shocked.
But the smartphone App Store gold rush, those are rookie numbers compared to some larger game makers.
Supercell, behind both Hay Day (the eighth highest grossing app on iOS) Clash of Clans (the second highest grossing app), revealed today that it makes over $2m a day from its two games.
In-app purchases (IAPs) in Clash of Clans range from as little as £2.99, up to £69.99, to buy ‘gems’ that speed-up progress in the free game.
Meanwhile King, behind the top grossing app on the App Store Candy Crush Saga, is widely believed to take around $1m a day from IAPs for its free game, ranging from 69p to £1.49 for extra lives and extra moves.
Of the top 25 highest grossing apps on Apple’s App Store, 23 are free to download, generating revenues via IAPs alone.
Since its launch in 2008 Apple has paid out over $15bn to developers, with total App Store sales last year reaching $10bn.