Gameloft exceeds 10m paid iPhone game downloads

Gameloft says it enjoyed a merry App Store Christmas thanks to Q4 releases like N.O.V.A. and James Cameron's Avatar - both of which were prominent in Apple's Top Grossing charts over the festive period.

"We have had a remarkable year on the App Store," says chairman and CEO Michel Guillemot (pictured). "Our success is defined not only by great production values, but a vested interest in bringing to market games that are commercially friendly and appeal to a mass consumer base."

Gameloft launched 35 games for iPhone in 2009, taking its overall total to 55. However, it has also faced criticism for the perceived lack of originality of its flagship titles.

N.O.V.A. has been widely compared to console game Halo, for example, while it has also released games clearly inspired by Diablo (Dungeon Hunter), Call Of Duty (Modern Combat Sandstorm) and Soul Calibur (Blades Of Fury).

Still, it seems consumers don't care. Gameloft took a calculated risk by investing heavily in rich, 3D iPhone games from the earliest days of the App Store - a strategy which is now paying off for the publisher.

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This story originally appeared on our sister site Mobile Entertainment.