Chapter 37: Leading the Casual Game Craze

Under the attention of the entire gaming circle, the data for "Plants vs. Zombies" continued to surge.

24-hour sales: 23,187; 3-day sales: 77,409; 7-day sales: 122,375; 30-day sales: 514,580!

Throughout this month, all game media and designers were repeatedly astonished. Generally, a game sees growth in the first week after release, then quickly declines, but not "Plants vs. Zombies." Even in the fourth week, daily downloads remained high!

First-month sales of 500,000! What does this mean? It means Alex Parker could earn over $2 million from this game in just one month!

For a newcomer, this number was astounding, and "Plants vs. Zombies" sparked a frenzy in the gaming circle!

The player community expanded virally, and sales kept climbing!

Many players spontaneously formed various game communities to study "Plants vs. Zombies" strategies, especially the endless mode, with the leaderboard changing daily.

Game media released new articles daily, and industry experts analyzed the success of "Plants vs. Zombies."

In major Q&A communities and even the official forum of the fantasy world editor, many game designers were hotly debating.

What was the secret to the success of "Plants vs. Zombies"?

Could its success be replicated? Could its design be emulated?

The level design, battle system, values, guidance, graphics, music, and even small details of Plants vs. Zombies were scrutinized, and it became a benchmark product for puzzle games!

An A-level game designer from Zen Entertainment posted an extended analysis on his blog, detailing the brilliance of "Plants vs. Zombies" and predicting a spring for puzzle games!

He wrote: "Honestly, I admire Alex Parker, the creator of 'Plants vs. Zombies.' As a new game designer, he taught us a lesson on casual games.

"We always thought casual games were small-scale, only suitable for C-level and D-level designers to practice on. These puzzle casual games often couldn't ensure long playtime or player engagement, leading to massive player loss.

"Many so-called puzzle games don't even have many puzzle elements; they're like children's play, far less strategic than some large strategy games!

"But 'Plants vs. Zombies' overturned this traditional view. Who said puzzle games couldn't be complex? Who said puzzle games couldn't be long-lasting? 'Plants vs. Zombies' solved the two significant challenges of puzzle games!

"This shows it's not the game type that's the problem but our limited thinking!

"Furthermore, 'Plants vs. Zombies' showed us the vast market for casual puzzle games. This type of game is not a niche market but a huge one!

"Alex Parker also pointed a clear path for all C-level and D-level designers: Limited resources and abilities don't matter. If you truly have creativity, make a casual game like 'Plants vs. Zombies,' and you can become a top game designer!

"I believe Alex Parker has shown exceptional talent in casual puzzle games. If he maintains this momentum and develops two or three more games at the same level as 'Plants vs. Zombies,' he might become the best casual puzzle game designer in the country, without a doubt!"

Industry experts, game media, and player comments were overwhelmingly positive, unlike the case with "Flappybird," where no designer or critic jumped out to criticize "Plants vs. Zombies."

Occasional negative articles were drowned out by player backlash.

Alex Parker knew he had made the right choice, achieving both fame and fortune. With "Plants vs. Zombies" topping the puzzle and casual game charts, Alex quickly became famous.

This month, Alex's Weibo followers grew to eight or nine thousand, which shows the game's popularity.

However, Alex knew "Plants vs. Zombies" had more potential.

In the previous world, "Plants vs. Zombies" sold 300,000 copies in nine days, breaking many records and becoming a global phenomenon.

Alex had restored over 90% of the original "Plants vs. Zombies," but the first-month sales were only 500,000, clearly still far from the original.

Alex analyzed the reasons himself.

Firstly, the initial promotion was lacking. Alex had almost no promotion, and although some game media reposts generated some buzz, it was nowhere near the overwhelming promotions by big companies. "Plants vs. Zombies" didn't get enough attention from the start.

Secondly, there is the market issue. "Plants vs. Zombies" was only launched in the domestic market. If it were released internationally, sales would likely be higher.

However, Alex was already satisfied. While "Plants vs. Zombies" had the potential to enter the international market, Alex didn't want to invest too much energy in that direction for now.

Currently, Alex is unfamiliar with the international market. In the parallel world, the tastes of foreign users might not be the same as in the previous world, requiring significant effort and money to verify.

Alex wasn't considering entering the international game market yet, so he didn't want to invest too much energy at this stage.

Therefore, Alex was already content with "Plants vs. Zombies" achieving such results. He never expected this game to be an instant hit.

For a starting point, Alex had a perfect launch as a designer. What happens next depends on his future moves.

...

10 AM.

Alex sat at the bar, yawning.

Last night, he drank with Simon Dominic and Johnny Alexander until 11 PM, so his mind was still a bit foggy.

After all, Simon Dominic and his games were huge successes, so a celebration was in order. Alex took a small break and drank some alcohol.

The first-month download of "Storm Knight Adventure" was over 70,000. Though incomparable to "Plants vs. Zombies," it was still in the top three of the new games chart, bringing Simon Dominic nearly $800,000.

For Simon Dominic, this was already very satisfying, an achievement most new designers could never attain.

Of course, Simon Dominic couldn't help but envy "Plants vs. Zombies," but he was genuinely happy for Alex.

Recently, Jessica Thompson and Paul Wilder haven't been coming as often as before. After playing for a month, they were less enthusiastic about "Plants vs. Zombies."

The forums developed more strategies and revealed more gameplay options for the game, but people's interest eventually faded.

Jessica and Paul kept urging Alex to develop a sequel or a new game.

Alex understood this, too. "Plants vs. Zombies is indeed a long-term game. Some players can play for a year or two, but most people get bored after a month or two.

Of course, it doesn't matter if players get bored with a single-player game. The game is sold, money is earned, and it's time to develop the next game.

Alex was ready to shift focus to his next game, but before that, he planned to arrange a version update for "Plants vs. Zombies."