Kris Jenner Faces Lawsuit For Stealing ‘Kim Kardashian: Hollywood’ App From Developer
Kris Jenner is no stranger to a lawsuit. When you’re heading up one of the most controversial families in entertainment, there’s bound to be some casualties.
One such complication is hitting Kris for allegedly stealing the Kim Kardashian: Hollywood game from a developer after working on it together for several months. Kung Fu Factory is suing Jenner for running off with what they claim was copyrighted material that had been shared with her while brainstorming for the project, reported TMZ.
Kris will fight accusations in the lawsuit that she lifted design elements that had been presented to her for the video game by Kung Fu. The company says that Jenner first contacted them in 2011 with the intention of getting a video game underway. Eager to get in on the Kardashian flair for making money, a proposal was sent to Kris that specifically outlined certain gameplay ideas as well as character designs.
Jenner never gave her final blessing for the project, and eventually killed the video game altogether — or so Kung Fu thought. In 2014, Kim Kardashian: Hollywood hit the market and made an absolute killing. Developers couldn’t help but notice that several key components of their original concept were present in the final product. Thus, they decided to hit Kris with a lawsuit.
Details haven’t been announced for just how much Jenner will be sued for, but given the success that the app ended up having on both iOS and Android — it stands to be fairly significant. Just a few months after the app’s release, Glu Mobile — the publisher behind the game — was set to rake in more than $200 million in revenue due to the cash cow dreamed up by Kris and the gang, analysts told Bloomberg Business. Because of that smash success, it was by far the company’s most profitable year on record.
That’s especially impressive considering that the game was sold for free. In-app purchases ended up being the entire backbone of profits reaped by Jenner and the gang. How much she stands to lose from getting sued for it remains to be seen, but it’s unlikely to kill the Kardashian fame cycle anytime soon. Glu CEO Niccolo de Masi actually sought out the family himself to collaborate with.
Of course, even if the game were a relative flop, it would be unlikely to be considered a waste of time by Kris. Jenner and the gang have been courting public attention for nearly a decade now through their various means of provocation and smart use of tools like social media. As most of the family’s core audience are glued to their smartphones, pushing the socialite brand to that platform allows them one more way to keep the spotlight.
Fans of the app reflect how well the strategy has worked for Kris. Ali Hussainy, a 20-year-old living in Los Angeles, told Forbes that Jenner and company had struck gold with the Kim K. app.
“I work in Film and TV, so what I find most interesting is that Kim Kardashian has done what every production company in town is trying to accomplish: creating a second screen experience to accompany their show. I’m sure most Kim fans only put down the game to watch Keeping up with the Kardashians, and then pick it up again once the show is over. There is no disconnect.”
If Kris Jenner’s lawsuit over the Kim Kardashian: Hollywood app ends up successful, there will be a lot of cash to sue her for. According to New York Post, she signed a $100 million contract with E! this year for four more years of the clan’s hit reality show.
[Image via Frederick M. Brown and Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images]
