Minion Rush celebrates tenth anniversary | Pocket Gamer.biz

The smash-hit runner game Minion Rush, developed by Gameloft, and based on the Illumination franchise Despicable Me, will soon be celebrating its tenth anniversary. And incredibly, in that time ,the game has chalked up over one billion downloads across Android and iOS and over 90 trillion bananas collected!

The decidedly Euro-flavoured movie was a surprise hit when it was released in America, eventually spawning sequels and a surprise merchandising hit in the form of the monosyllabic yellow Minions. Inevitably the brand’s reach extended to mobile, with the game Minion Rush hitting the ground running in June 2013.

SVP of production for Universal Games and Digital Platforms, Jim Molinets, spoke about the magic that made the game a hit. “Minion Rush’s success is a reflection of our incredible player community who continue to embrace the fun and accessible gameplay and provide valuable input, helping shape what the game has become over the last decade,” he said. “We look forward to celebrating this significant milestone with our fans all year long and delivering fresh new content and updates.”

What makes Minions great?

The Minions were lab grown to be the perfect marketing tools. Varied, kid-friendly, pleasing to the eye. And although oversaturation has arguably turned the yellow monsters into more of a frustration than a cutesy cultural icon, their marketing potential cannot be overstated.However, despite the immediate draw of the characters alone, Minion Rush doesn’t solely rely on these banana-obsessed juggernauts.

As CEO and co-founder of Layer, Rachit Moti explained to us “One of the key reasons this game works is that Gameloft carefully selected a genre and concept that works. Minion Rush doesn’t try to do too much. Like other games, the mechanic is simple which makes it easy for any skill level to engage with. But it’s not just a bunch of Minions sliding around: it adds depth and stands out from other runners by integrating different locations from the Despicable Me series, which serve as backdrops to each level. It also provides players with the ability to collect different Minion costumes as they advance through levels.”

The game will also be mirroring other endless runners such as Subway Surfers by celebrating their tenth anniversary with a “World Tour” special event. This will take players through new locations based on major countries, and is intended to showcase the worldwide appeal of the game and the studio.

So if you’ve yet to find out what all the fuss is about, now is the perfect time to catch up with it.