HQ Trivia app launches UK version

The Android version of HQ Trivia is currently under development

Popular app-based quiz show HQ Trivia has launched in the UK.

Until now, anyone wanting to compete in the real-time quiz had to sign up to play the US version.

But on Sunday, the UK version of the app was unveiled. It will feature questions specifically aimed at UK audiences.

One expert said its popularity was down to the cash prizes on offer as well as its real presenters and live-streaming format.

Cash call

HQ Trivia mimics the format of a TV quiz show and each round has a host that asks questions and engages with players. Quizzes are run twice a day.

Each game typically has a prize pot in excess of $10,000 (£7,192) but this is usually split between hundreds of winners who answer all 12 multiple-choice questions correctly. Prizes vary, but typical rewards on the US version have been $10-$20 (£7-£15).

The game has become very popular and often hundreds of thousands of people join in the hosted games.

Jack Kent, a mobile media analyst at IHS Markit, said the real money prizes were responsible for HQ's initial draw but other elements of its format also helped.

"The live streaming video, real presenters and interactive social and chat functions have all helped drive engagement," he said. The massive live audience had also helped boost its popularity, he added.

But, Mr Kent said, despite the game's popularity there were still questions about its longevity.

"Supporting a live massive multiplayer video experience is more difficult and more costly than other text and image-based titles," he said.

Currently, he said, HQ Trivia was being bankrolled by early investors and venture capitalists who had put up the initial cash for each quiz.

He said HQ Trivia would have to find other revenue streams, perhaps based around adverts or top brands, as it grew.

The game is available only for Apple iPhones but it is expected that a finished version of the app for Android will be released soon.

The two men behind HQ Trivia were also founders of video sharing app Vine, which they, and the company's other founder, sold to Twitter for $30m in 2012.