Already a successful franchise since its August 2009 iOS release, US developer SkyVu Pictures continues to build out its Battle Bears IP.

The most recent hit is Battle Bears Royale, with the free-to-play 4 vs 4 multiplayer shooter notching up 250,000 downloads in its opening weekend.

But it's not just about the downloads, as players have already accumulated 6 years of play time through 100,000 bouts.

Bring on the bears

Combined with the various other versions of the game, including zombies and topdown experiences, over 14 million Battle Bears games have been downloaded across iOS, Android and Mac.

"Our fans have supported us from the beginning and shared in our vision of making innovative mobile games with a twist of humour and plenty of non-stop action. We couldn't have got very far without them," commented Ben Vu, SkyVu's CEO.

"By making our games free-to-play, we've eliminated all barriers to experiencing our original brands."

Developed in conjunction with W3i's Recharge Studios, which provided freemium design consultation, marketing support and funding, Vu said SkyVu will continue to support the game, with more modes, social features, classes, weapons and maps planned.

There will also be an Android version, enabling real-time cross platform gameplay with iOS players.