Doodle Jump jumps over 5 million times a day

Everyone knows how popular games on the iPhone are but it's not until you see stats like the one recently released from Lima Sky, makers of the popular game Doodle Jump, that you really get a full understanding of just what "popular" means.

According to the company's press release, with more than 3 million copies of Doodle Jump sold to date, the company is recording that its app is played more than 5 million times a day. A closer look at the 3 million downloads reveals that over 1.6 million of them have taken place in 2010 alone. With the App Store having more than 160,000 apps available, according to AppShopper, how has Doodle Jump managed to stay on the top for so long?

One could argue that there are two main factors behind Doodle Jump's success. First, the company continues to enhance the game--more than 25 free updates so far--that it sells for $0.99. That means that once you pay the $0.99, you can freely enjoy any of the new levels, bosses, etc. that the company dreams up, without having to spend any additional money. Second, gameplay is simple and is designed for all ages.

Will Doodle Jump continue to ride the top 10 wave? With more people buying iPhones daily, and the company most probably working on an iPad-specific version of the game, I would bet yes.

I have been playing Doodle Jump since its first day of release. The concept is very straight forward and the game mechanics couldn't be simpler with you tilting the device back and forth to keep Doodle The Doodler jumping higher. Since the company continues to enhance the offering, it always stays top of mind for me, too, and it's one of the main games I recommend to all iPhone users.

Hopefully more iPhone game companies will try to duplicate the formula that Doodle Jump has mastered. In the end we'll all win, regardless of which company comes out on top.