Why Amazon’s Mobile Game Competition Includes Minion Rush
Casual games and tournaments may seem like an unlikely combination, but the idea of fun mobile games and competitive events working together makes more sense than you might think. Anything that makes a game more compelling is good for everyone who enjoys playing them.
A casual gaming competition is something that Gameloft has done before with events like Asphalt Orange Cup and that experience provides a deep understanding of casual competitive fun.
When Amazon wanted to include Minion Rush in their casual mobile game tournament, Amazon’s Champions of Fire, Gameloft was ecstatic about the opportunity to be involved with another fun and competitive event.
Amazon App Store
How people get games on their devices has changed over the last 20 years. It began with phone companies working directly with game companies to figure out ways to bring new gaming experiences to an all-new platform.
The iPhone turned that business upside down with the App Store. A few years later with the arrival of Android, Google Play provided another platform where people can find amazing games.
In a similar fashion, the Amazon Appstore provides a marketplace for its first party Fire tablets as well as third party Android phones.
Gameloft titles are on all the major app distribution platforms and because Minion Rush is available on the Amazon Appstore, we were able to participate in Champions of Fire.
Amazon’s Champions of Fire
Amazon hosted a casual mobile gaming tournament where online social influencers competed against each other by playing several of the top casual games on the Amazon Appstore. The impressive prize pool of $50,000 was split among finalists, with first place taking home $15,000.
In order to make the Minion Rush inclusion all the more special, Gameloft ran a special limited time event only available to those who downloaded the game from the Amazon Appstore. This special event included a new prison themed level and a new prisoner costume inspired by Illumination’s Despicable Me 3. Players from around the world were also able to compete against the social influencers who took part in Champions of Fire!
Champions of Fire took place at the Time Inc. Studio in New York City from December 2–3 and was also streamed live on Amazon owned Twitch with highlights appearing on the CBS Sports Network in the US.
Minion Rush
Gameloft is proud to have Minion Rush featured in the Champions of Fire event. The game has been a huge success and continues to draw fans to both Gameloft and the Despicable Me franchise through its engaging runner gameplay. It’s also the 5th most downloaded mobile game of all time on the Google Play Store!
Minion Rush is not just an important part of the Gameloft catalogue, it also represents the unique collaboration between our studio, Illumination and Universal.
The Amazon Champions of Fire event is a great example of how well Gameloft works with both app distribution platforms and premium IP to create best in class mobile games and exclusive user experiences. It’s those relationships that led to Minion Rush being included in this exciting event.
