journey to the east: 5 keys to successful global development

Journey to the East:5 Keys to SuccessfulGlobal Development

Speaker Introduction

Michael LiCo-founder, Kabam Inc.General Manager, Kabam China

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

Kabam Overview

450 Employees

BeijingLuxembourgAustin, TXSan Francisco, CAHeadquarters

Kabam China

• Established 2010• 70 people• Kingdoms of Camelot: Battle for the North iOS & Android• The Hobbit: Kingdoms of Middle-earth iOS & Android

The Story of Kabam China

Once upon a time…

• Late 2009 Kabam releases its first game on Facebook:

And it grows…

• So what do you do?

Oh, but so is everyone else…

(>_<)

How about China?

• Good engineering talent

• Strong familiarity with F2P games

• Asia as future growth region

• Favorable cost structures

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

• Second project:– Use China team to augment game teams in the

USA– Flash Minigames!

Lets help wherever we can!

• 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

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.

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

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

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

5 Key Learnings

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

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

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

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

5. Satellite not Separate

• Having someone from headquarters is greatly beneficial– Culture– Experiences– Processes– Connections

Questions?

Michael LiGeneral Manager, Kabam China