Dots, Betaworks’ New Super Addictive iOS Game, Nabs 1 Million Downloads In One Week

Dots, a game launched just last week out of betaworks, has reached over 1 million downloads in just one week of availability.

According to a blog post, the app hit number 1 in eight countries, and went into the top five in another fifteen countries. Right now, in fact, you’ll find Dots as the number three free app behind Hardest Game Ever 2 and Falldown2, two worthy opponents.

Of course, backing from betaworks is always a smart way to get off to a good start, but dots stands on its own as a quality piece of mobile gaming software.

It’s a simple, digital take on the classic connect-the-dots game. You connect as many of the same-colored dots at once, and ultimately aim to make a square, which erases that entire color from the board.

In true mobile game fashion, users can earn power-ups and advanced tools by scoring “dots,” which are also available as in-app purchases. betaworks’ Paul Murphy relayed to TechCrunch that people are both earning and buying dots in a way the team is pleased with.

But the magic isn’t just in the gameplay, which is highly addictive to say the least. Hacker-in-residence and co-founder Patrick Moberg brought his experience with design, illustrations, and developing to create a truly beautiful game, with all the right aesthetic nuances and animations.

Plus, the social component of the app has made it quickly viral. “The app is heavily, heavily supported by the social mechanics in the game,” said Murphy. “So that’s working, and we suspect it will continue to work well.”

The question now is whether or not dots can keep up the momentum like a true classic or become the next Draw Something. For now, however, the team is focused on incremental improvements like expansion from iPhone to iPad, and support for colorblind users.