Looking back at Kim Kardashian's video game legacy
Flirt, earn money and become famous in Kim Kardashian: Hollywood
Kim Kardashian was already more than a household name in 2013. The Kardashian name (hers, specifically) was tantamount to "celebrity" — or "notoriety," depending on who said it. But there was one more step toward international fame she wasn't so sure about: whether she wanted to become a video game character.
Niccolo de Masi, then CEO of Glu Mobile, first approached Kardashian in early 2013 with the idea of starring in a video game. Kardashian took several months to think through the idea. In their second meeting, they showed Masi Kardashian the art of the game — and that was it.
"Nothing gripped or hooked her as much as seeing what she would look like in an actual video game," he said. The concept he presented was also a good fit. The game that would become Kim Kardashian: Hollywood was all about giving players a chance to literally emulate Kardashian's rise to mega-fame. And it probably didn't hurt that her new husband seemed equally intrigued by the idea. "Like Kanye used to say to me, 'Niccolo, my wife is an actual video game character,'" de Masi said.
