journey to the east: 5 keys to successful global development
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Journey to the East: 5 Keys to Successful Global Development. Speaker Introduction. Michael Li Co-founder, Kabam Inc. General Manager, Kabam China. Kabam Overview. About. Founded in 2006 Top grossing F2P social and web games #1 top grossing iOS and #2 iPad game - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
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Journey to the East:5 Keys to SuccessfulGlobal Development
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Speaker Introduction
Michael LiCo-founder, Kabam Inc.General Manager, Kabam China
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Kabam OverviewAbout• Founded in 2006 • Top grossing F2P social and web games• #1 top grossing iOS and #2 iPad game• Games in 16 languages and 100+ countries
Investors
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Kabam Overview
450 Employees
BeijingLuxembourgAustin, TXSan Francisco, CAHeadquarters
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Kabam China
• Established 2010• 70 people• Kingdoms of Camelot: Battle for the North iOS & Android• The Hobbit: Kingdoms of Middle-earth iOS & Android
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The Story of Kabam China
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Once upon a time…
• Late 2009 Kabam releases its first game on Facebook:
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And it grows…
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• So what do you do?
Oh, but so is everyone else…
(>_<)
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How about China?
• Good engineering talent
• Strong familiarity with F2P games
• Asia as future growth region
• Favorable cost structures
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Early Beginnings
• May 2010: Beijing office opens• First project: Viral Apps on FB– Why? Combat rising CPU costs
• Cant engineer viral apps• American pop culture doesn’t make sense in
china
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• Second project:– Use China team to augment game teams in the
USA– Flash Minigames!
Lets help wherever we can!
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• Second project:– Use China team to augment game teams in the
USA– Flash Minigames!
Lets help wherever we can!
• Cross continent communication is hard• Ensure the value proposition is understood before
developing• Good Flash practice nevertheless
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Our first real game
• Third project:– Take a game that is not profitable in the USA and
see if it can be turned around in China.
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Our first real game
• Third project:– Take a game that is not profitable in the USA and
see if it can be turned around in China.
• s• Good practice but…. • A non-performing game in the USA is still non-
performing in China• Not an effective use of resources
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Enough Practice
• Lets try to make our own game• Two +1 games, one flash, one HTML• Mike arrives to inject founder culture and
spearhead mobile experiment
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Survive Thrive
• HTML game launches but struggles, eventually cancelled -- core team members move to help mobile project
• Flash project launches, decently successful• Mobile project launches• Flash game is moved back to the USA
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5 Key Learnings
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1. Start Small
• Sensible risk taking– Don’t bite off more than you can chew
• Time for learning is key– New team, new tech, new processes
• Discover your strengths & weaknesses
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2. Be Prepared for Failure
• Failures will happen• Make sure you learn from them– Be patient!– Hold post mortems
• Keep high performing teams together, their next project will have a better chance of success
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3. Concentrate your Expertise
• Focus! – Going to a mobile only platform was beneficial– Clear mission and objectives for the entire office– Learning velocity increased– Easier sharing of wins, gotchas, tips & tricks
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4. “Local” Experts
• Making a global hit means having local experts• Local “local” experts– Bi-cultural, bi-lingual producers– Art Director
• Market “local” experts– Live Ops / Community– Customer support
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5. Satellite not Separate
• Having someone from headquarters is greatly beneficial– Culture– Experiences– Processes– Connections
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Questions?
Michael LiGeneral Manager, Kabam China