We have more platforms whereas we used to be very PC-centric. The same game can now have many different price points across different platforms.
It’s not about picking one business model and sticking to it, but trying multiple strategies. We have free-to-play, micro-transactions and freemium games. You can see we have gone from subscriptions, purchases and try-before-you-buy to new models. We are starting to want to have a relationship with our customers. It’s no longer about somebody going to the game store and buying a game from the retailer and not directly dealing with the publisher. You can see that the population is aging and the demographic of people playing our games is aging as well. I don’t know if there are better alternative game investments in the U.S. That is why some are flocking to the Chinese game companies. I think the market is very hungry for a good way to invest in games. I get the message that the free-to-play business model looks very promising compared to the slow growth business models of media companies and Western console game makers. Is that right?ĭR: I think the business model makes more sense. VB: It makes sense that the Chinese game companies embraced free-to-play games earlier and that means they have more potential going forward. It’s hard to say not really knowing enough about it, but certainly it is well hyped. VB: Do you view the rise of the Chinese game companies and their rising stock prices as rational?ĭR: Some of it is probably irrational. That doesn’t take into account that the core audience is shifting from hardcore gamers, who are maybe 14 percent of the population, to everybody. Here, people seem to classify games as part of a larger entertainment and media business. But as online games rose in Asia, the value of the Asian game companies has risen dramatically. Video game stocks were steadily rising until the recession hit in 2008. It’s gotten better over the years, and people now think of video games as more accessible than they used to be. We deliberately chose not to put the word “video” in front of “game.” There has been a kind of stigma around video games and we want to make that go away. Our mission is to sort of create the most popular game franchises in the world. So we did more than $100 million in revenues last year. We are starting to release some revenue numbers now. We are all about games first and foremost. Here’s an edited transcript of the conversation.ĭR: We have six big franchises that sort of define us. We sat down recently with PopCap chief executive Dave Roberts and co-founder John Vechey. Three top investment pros open up about what it takes to get your video game funded. As a result, it generated more than $100 million in sales last year and now has plans to go public in the second half of the year. PopCap has leadership positions in desktop, online, mobile and console games. Bejeweled Blitz, which lets you challenge a friend to a short game, has been a major hit on Facebook.
#Zuma blitz ipad app Pc#
PopCap’s Plants vs Zombies debuted on the PC and has been ported to the iPhone, iPad, and other platforms that are popular with gamers. The beauty of PopCap’s titles is that they can be launched across a wide variety of platforms. The difference is that they are lightweight snacks. From Bejeweled to Plants vs Zombies, PopCap’s games are light-hearted and cartoonish, but they can be just as addictive as hardcore console titles. PopCap Games has been a consistent winner when it comes to making great games for casual audiences, or those who don’t consider themselves to be hardcore gamers. Join gaming leaders online at GamesBeat Summit Next this upcoming November 9-10.
0 kommentar(er)
