If you launched a console video game and sold $1 million worth, it would be a dismal failure. But in the green field of the iPhone, that’s a big hit.
PopCap Games hit the $1 million revenue mark in the first nine days of sales of its Plants vs. Zombies game, selling 300,000 units and setting a new record for AppStore launches.
A console game that sold 300,000 units could generate $18 million at retail. But the iPhone is significant as a game platform because that’s where a lot of users appear to be migrating.
The game, originally launched on the PC and Mac in May, 20009, shot to No. 1 on the AppStore within 24 hours of its launch and then remained there until yesterday. It is selling for $2.99, which is higher than many paid apps.
I played last year’s PC version all the way through. The game was amazingly addictive even though it was simply illustrated in a two-dimensional cartoon style. You basically set your plants up around a house and use them to defend against waves of attacking Zombies. It’s part of the Tower Defense genre of games.
PopCap also said that Bejeweled 2 has now sold more than 3 million units on the AppStore, making it the first paid app to hit that milestone. That jewel puzzle game has been consistently in the top ten on the AppStore’s top-grossing list. That’s no small feat since there are 150,000 apps in the store now, and PC games don’t always take off on the iPhone. Seattle-based PopCap, formed in 2000, recently raised $22.5 million in venture capital. It has more than 260 people and its top game, Bejeweled, has sold more than 50 million units.