Gameloft movie tie-in Ice Age Village attracts 5 million downloads in a week

It looks like Gameloft's new free-to-play strategy is paying off, with new release Ice Age Village attracting over 5 million downloads on iOS and Android within a week of its launch.

The French developer, previously best known for its premium mobile titles - including BackStab and Asphalt - decided recently to embrace both the freemium model and in-app purchases (IAPs) to push its games to a wider audience.

Has it worked?

Well, since the launch of Ice Age Village on April 5th, it has been the #1 free game in over 50 countries on the iPhone, and over 90 countries on iPad.

This popularity has helped make it the top grossing game in more than 50 global territories.

I'd say that's a big 'yes', then.

Fox SVP of mobile Rick Philips said: "We are pleased with the extremely positive reception this newest addition to the Ice Age franchise has enjoyed across the world."

"New missions, which will be released over the next three months, will help prepare fans for the return of Sid, Manny, Diego and Scrat in Ice Age: Continental Drift, which is coming to theaters this summer," he continued.

You can download Ice Age Village from the Google Play Store for free.

View the Ice Age Village video below...