As the fruit-slaying smartphone game smashes ONE BILLION downloads, gaming developer Halfbrick launches an all-new update to mark Fruit Ninja’s five-year anniversary
Are YOU one of those people who take pleasure in poleaxing pineapples? What about wasting watermelons, annihilating apples, punishing peaches or obliterating oranges? Do you get a sense of satisfaction from shredding strawberries? Killing kiwifruits with a katana? Butchering bananas with a blade? Or maybe, just maybe, you get off on TOTALLY PWNING pomegranates?
If so, it’s time to sharpen them swords, grasshopper… Fruit Ninja not only just clocked ONE BILLION downloads, we also turned 5! And that means a brand-spanking, blade-slashing, new gore-tacular splatter-fest of an update.
Dropping THURSDAY AUGUST 6 on the App Store, Google Play and Amazon Appstore for Android, the new Fruit Ninja update is FREE for new and existing players. It’s been a fun and fruitful five years, so this is Halfbrick Studios’ way of saying “Arigatō!” Whether you’re a casual fruit-slaying commuter or a dedicated smartphone shinobi, the new and improved Fruit Ninja is going to rock your socks off (while no doubt infuriating grocers and sending fruitaphobes quivering into the foetal position).
Halfbrick CEO Shainiel Deo is likewise pumped about what this all means. “The latest update of Fruit Ninja is really a new chapter for the game and for Halfbrick,” he said. “We are grateful for the success it’s brought, but we’re also excited by the evolution of the game… and it all starts here.”
So what’s new exactly? Well, this is a whole new competitive era for Fruit Ninja, so things are about to heat up…
ANNIVERSARY TOURNAMENT MODE
For the first time, challenge six iconic opponents to unlock the exclusive Golden Ember Blade!
SIX NEW MINI GAMES
From juggling fruit to manipulating bombs, you can master new tricks in six unique mini games!
GOLDEN EMBER BLADE
Make it through the new Tournament Mode and you will be awarded this new bad-ass blade. Use it to trap fruit in a fiery blaze and then slice ’em twice for epic high scores!
December 2009
Little-known Brisbane game developer Halfbrick Studios face a “make or break”moment – they need one game to sell really well as things aren’t looking up
January 2010
One Halfbrick designer is inspired by a late-night infomercialwhere a chef slices up fruit with a knife – the seed of an idea is born
April 2010
The game Fruit Ninja is launched with little fanfare but plenty of prayers
July 2010
Fruit Ninja clocks ONE MILLION downloads
December 2010
Fruit Ninja clocks FOUR MILLION downloads
May 2011
Fruit Ninja hits 300 MILLION downloads and is now on 1 in 3 smartphones in US– the Ancient Art of Fruit Slaying officially becomes a “thing”
October 2014
MythBusters dedicate an ep to debunking the science of Fruit Ninja
July 2015
Fruit Ninja tops ONE BILLION downloads, making it the second most-purchased app of all time on iPhone, a bona fide Australian success story and a global gaming phenomenon
The new Fruit Ninja update is available THURSDAY AUGUST 6. It features a new Tournament Mode, six new mini-games and the Golden Ember Blade. Downloadable on App Store, Google Play and Amazon Appstore for Android. Going live on August 6, Fruit Ninja-themed updates and events will occur across other popular Halfbrick games such as Jetpack Joyride, Yes Chef, Radical Rappelling and more.
For more information on Fruit Ninja and Halfbrick Studios, contact:Amanda Lovelock – Hill+Knowlton Strategies(03) 9868 9236amanda.lovelock@hkstrategies.com
