BlueStacks introduces a mobile gaming platform called BlueStacks 2

Mobile company BlueStacks announced that the platform now counts 109 million downloads, with people consuming over one billion apps per month. In addition, the company also said that its Android user base recently surpassed both Xiaomi and Sony to become the 9th largest in the world and it is quickly gaining on Samsung, Huawei and others. BlueStacks, which started its life as app player, an Android emulator on PC, has now evolved into BlueStacks 2, a mobile gaming platform that spans mobile, PC and TV. The company, launched in 2011, has raised $30 million in funding from Andreessen-Horowitz, Intel, Qualcomm and others with Samsung the most recent investor. BlueStacks 2 adds several new features such as a new browser-like interface, where upon clicking an ad, a new tab opens where people can view the ad later. BlueStacks 2 also incorporates the ability to run multiple apps at the same time in different tabs. The company reports that many users are running messaging apps and gaming apps simultaneously as well. “When we started, mobile apps, with their crisp resolution looked and sounded gorgeous on PC and TV,” said BlueStacks Product Manager, Shashi Kant Sharma. “What we’ve learned is that the wider visual space lends itself more naturally to app discovery. It’s accelerated our growth and retention massively over the past year. The average Bluestacks user spends 89 minutes playing on their first day. In addition, once someone discovers apps on PC or TV they tend to use them across all of their devices, giving the BlueStacks platform powerful reach for developers.” “As our product and platform has matured, it has attracted a new genre of gamers,” said BlueStacks CEO, Rosen Sharma. “Hardcore PC gamers we find are also into playing midcore mobile games. These users spend a lot of money, which has attracted app developers to our platform in droves. On the other end of the spectrum, apps like messaging and eCommerce also tend to get heavy usage and attract high-value users. The platform has been a boon for advertisers.”