iPhone Plants vs. Zombies rakes in $1 million in only nine days
"So guys, get this: I had this awesome idea for an action-packed videogame. About gardening! Also, there'll be zombies and bowling minigames and we'll market it to a casual audience!"
"Wait, what are you doing in the office? Didn't we fire you?"
The pitch for Plants vs. Zombies would've unfolded in exactly that manner if the world made sense. But it doesn't. Not even a little. Plants vs. Zombies is a fantastic game, and now that it's taken its show on the road with the iPhone, it's the talk of the town. Well, when said talkers don't have their faces buried in the horribly addictive time-waster, anyway.
And boy are there a lot of buried faces. According to PopCap, 300,000 units of the $2.99 game were sold in the first nine days. After pocketing more than $1 million, PopCap's declared Plants vs. Zombies the biggest launch in iPhone history.
"Plants vs. Zombies is our latest major franchise to make the jump to iPhone, and from the early customer and critical feedback it appears to be a great adaptation of the game," said Andrew Stein, director of mobile business development at PopCap. "There's always a concern when bringing a computer game to a mobile, pocket-sized device that something will get lost in the process, but in this case the overwhelming consensus is that Plants vs. Zombies is even more fun on the smaller touch screen!"
No. It's ok, Mr. Stein. Toot your own horn. Toot until you're blue in the face. You've earned it.
Full press release is below.
PopCap's Plants vs. Zombies(TM) is the Top-Grossing iPhone Launch Ever
More Than 300,000 Units Sold in First Nine Days; Joins Bejeweled(R) 2 as App Store Record-Breaker
SEATTLE and DUBLIN, Feb. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- PopCap Games, maker of some of the world's most popular video games, today announced that the iPhone and iPod touch adaptation of its award-winning game Plants vs. Zombies™ sold more than 300,000 units in its first nine days of availability, setting a new record for App Store launches. Plants vs. Zombies shot to number one in the units sold and "top grossing" App Store charts within 24 hours of its launch and remained there until yesterday. At a retail price point of US$2.99, Plants vs. Zombies for iPhone/touch has already grossed more than US$1 million.
PopCap also revealed that its flagship Bejeweled® 2 is now the first paid app to reach 3 million units on the App Store. Bejeweled 2 has consistently been in the top 10 of the App Store's Top Grossing list. With the success of Plants vs. Zombies, PopCap now boasts 3 games (including Bejeweled and Peggle™) that have reached #1 on the App Store among a crowded field of more than 150,000 apps. The company's other iPhone games, Bookworm™ and Chuzzle™, are consistently in the top 100 on the App Store.
Originally launched on the PC and Mac in May of 2009 to universal critical acclaim, Plants vs. Zombies has been expertly adapted for iPhone and iPod touch. Consumers who have purchased the iPhone adaptation agree, with more than 95% giving the game five out of five stars in the App Store's rating system - making it the highest-rated product in the App Store. Plants vs. Zombies is proving to be a global phenomenon on the App Store, reaching the #1 position on the sales charts in more than 20 countries worldwide including Canada, China, Russia, Australia, Germany, Denmark, Ireland, and Norway. Within one day of the game's launch, it joined Bejeweled 2 as one of the top five highest-grossing iPhone apps of the week.
"Plants vs. Zombies is our latest major franchise to make the jump to iPhone, and from the early customer and critical feedback it appears to be a great adaptation of the game," said Andrew Stein, director of mobile business development at PopCap. "There's always a concern when bringing a computer game to a mobile, pocket-sized device that something will get lost in the process, but in this case the overwhelming consensus is that Plants vs. Zombies is even more fun on the smaller touch screen!"
About PopCap
PopCap Games (www.popcap.com) is the leading multi-platform provider of fun, easy-to-learn, captivating video games that appeal to everyone from age 6 to 106. Based in Seattle, Washington, PopCap was founded in 2000 and has a worldwide staff of over 260 people in Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago, Vancouver, B.C., Dublin, and Shanghai. Its games have been downloaded more than 1 billion times by consumers worldwide, and its flagship title, Bejeweled, has sold more than 50 million units across all platforms. Constantly acclaimed by consumers and critics, PopCap's games are played on the Web, social platforms, desktop computers, myriad mobile devices (cell phones, smartphones, PDAs, Pocket PCs, iPod, iPhone and more), popular game consoles (such as Xbox and DS), and in-flight entertainment systems. PopCap is the only "casual games" developer with leading market share across all major sales channels, including social, Web portals, retail stores, mobile phones, MP3 players, and game devices.
The PopCap logo and all other trademarks used herein that are listed at www.popcap.com/trademarks are owned by PopCap Games, Inc. or its licensors and may be registered in some countries. Other company and product names used herein may be trademarks of their respective owners and are used for the benefit of those owners.