Someone has spent $1 million on 'free-to-play' mobile title Game of War

A 45-year old California-based man has admitted to spending an estimated $1 million on mobile title Game of War: Fire Age through money embezzled from his employer. The man, Kevin Lee Co, confessed to stealing nearly $5 million through his position at heavy-equipment company ‘Holt California’ between May 2008 to March 2015, which he also spent on plastic surgery and season tickets to the San Francisco 49ers.

Game of War is a fantasy strategy title developed by Machine Zone available on Android and iOS. It employs a common mobile monetization method which offers players in-game items in return for cash, the current costs of which range from $1.99 to $399.99 per item. As these items are consumable, there’s no limit to the amount of money one could spend on the title.

According to a report from VentureBeat last April, Game of War “draws an average of $549.69 per paying user [per year]. That’s more than any other mobile game, and that’s enough to make the game one of the top-grossing apps in the $34.8 billion gaming business on iOS and Android.”

Game of War has also invested significantly in its marketing campaigns, creating a Super Bowl commercial featuring supermodel Kate Upton and tapping Mariah Carey for its Hero ad.

How much do you spend on in-app purchased in mobile games? Let us know in the comments.