The mobile app version of the Exploding Kittens card game jumped to number one in the Apple App Store just one day after its launch, to become the top paid application. It is only available for iOS devices now but an Android version is being developed. The local multiplayer game had already become the all-time most funded game of the Kickstarter crowdfunding site.
In the strategy game kittens "explode" by doing normal cat activities that cause havoc, and players can avoid the big blasts through methods such as belly rubs, laser pointers, and catnip sandwiches. The game's builders including creative director Shane Small, designer Elan Lee and cartoonist Matthew Inman did not make the game because they hate kitties, according to Tech Times.
Exploding Kittens raised nearly $9 million on Kickstarter from over 219,000 pledges. The strategic Russian roulette-like game holds the record for most financial backers.
Exploding Kittens does not have a solo mode. The game's site explains that the multiplayer card game is played with people sitting near other people. An Internet connection is not needed because WiFi and Bluetooth were used to create the virtual experience of up to six people playing with a real deck of cards, according to Engadget
The developers also explained that the game includes new technology. Therefore, it will take some time to fix the bugs.
It is a very social game because friends or family sit around a real table with their smartphones to play the game. That makes it different from most mobile games.
Tech Times points out there are a few key reasons why Exploding Kittens has topped the Apple App Store charts. They include all in-app purchases of the $1.99 game being totally free for a limited time, and avatars with voices.
While Exploding Kittens broke the Kickstarter record for number of backers, the Pebble Time smartwatch has raised the most money ever. It earned over $20.3 million in about a month last year.
As of January 24, Sunday, the other top paid iPhone games in Apple App Store in the United States include Minecraft: Pocket Edition (No. 2), and Heads Up! (No. 3). That is based on number of downloads.
Here's a sample round of Exploding Kittens: