Hit mobile game Color Switch is adding a competitive esports element today in a partnership with mobile esports firm Skillz.
In an effort to bring competitive gaming to the masses, Skillz offers a platform for mobile esports and games for prizes. It enables players to compete head-to-head in mobile game tournaments. Now the millions of daily active Color Switch players will be able to compete with each other for prizes. Overnight, that could make Color Switch one of the world’s biggest esports, as it has surpassed 150 million downloads and is approaching 200 million downloads.
Skillz provides a platform to turn any mobile game on iOS and Android into a game you can play with friends or strangers for cash, prizes, or points. And it enables esports tournaments for games that integrate the Skillz platform. It took Skillz more than 36 months to generate its first $50 million annual run rate, and it took just eight to bring in the additional $50 million to hit a run rate of $100 million. That shows how fast the platform is growing.
“The proven ability of Skillz to generate 5x revenue for games like Color Switch made this an easy decision,” said David Reichelt, co-creator of Color Switch, in a statement. “With the Skillz platform, we’ll turn Color Switch into a full-fledged eSport – giving both amateurs and professionals the opportunity to compete in the game they already love.”
Soon after its first release last January, Fortafy Games‘ Color Switch became the No. 1 iOS app in over 150 countries, including the U.S., U.K., and Canada. It was also named “Top Trending Game of 2016” by Google Play. Over 16 months later, Color Switch remains a top 25 game on both iOS and Android. It is continually evolving, with over 50 updates and 2,000 additional levels.
“The creation of organizations such as the NFL and NBA began with games that were the most popular of their time,” said Andrew Paradise, CEO and founder of Skillz, in a statement. “Today, Color Switch is one of the most popular games in history, and with this partnership, we’re excited for it to transcend gaming to become a sport for millions of players and spectators around the world to enjoy.”
Color Switch has already garnered a significant viewing audience of more than 5 billion digital impressions from online memes, videos, status updates, shares, and comments.