iPhone games publisher ngmoco has announced that more than 500,000 people have downloaded its Eliminate game since it was released globally earlier this week.

The game is the first to push the newly-possible pricing model on the App Store of making a game free to download, and entirely funded by in-app purchases. In this case, players buy 'energy cells' to help them upgrade their character faster.

The game is top of the App Store Free Games chart, unsurprisingly - it's one of the first premium titles to be released for free in this way. CEO Neil Young tells TechCrunch that ngmoco has three more games lined up this side of Christmas using similar models.

Meanwhile, Young also announced - via Twitter - that ngmoco has acquired iPhone developer Miraphonic for an undisclosed amount.

Miraphonic is mainly known for its Epic Pet Wars social iPhone game, indicating ngmoco's interest in releasing more in this genre.

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