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The Number One Educational Resource for the Game Industry

Session Name: OMG! Zombies on the Great Wall of China!
Speaker(s): James Gwertzman
Company Name(s): PopCap
Track / Format: Free to Play Design & Business Summit

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Overview: By early 2012, Plants vs. Zombies had become one of the most popular mobile games in China, but thanks to widespread piracy, it was not generating much revenue. Our Shanghai team hatched a bold plan: convert this classic premium game to freemium, and relaunch it as Plants vs. Zombies: Great Wall Edition. The plan worked, and the game is now #1 on Tencent's Android platform, is the most profitable mobile game ever launched by EA in China, and thanks to ongoing operations, is generating more revenue today than when it first launched 6 months ago. Attend this session to learn how we did it, to see what Chinese zombies look like, and to take away lessons relevant to any team trying to adapt premium to freemium, and extend the life of a title through ongoing updates and game operations.

GDC 2013

James Gwertzman

PopCap

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