transition. By September 2011, most of the Killer Freaks team had joined the zombie-game team. During the transition, the game's tone became more serious. The team tried to distinguish itself from other zombie games in the video-game market, making the GamePad its central feature. They were inspired by the 2007 film, I Am Legend, in which the protagonist is the only survivor left in a city and must be constantly on guard against zombies. ZombiU, the game's working title, became its official name since it was a zombie game for Wii U. Design The team chose London as ZombiU setting because the city hosted the 2012 Olympics, and its dark history (including Jack the Ripper) matched the game. Although the zombie theme originated in the US, the UK has a blend of modern and medieval architecture which contributes to the game's dark tone. London's proximity to the French developer also allowed the team to research the city. According to writer Antony Johnston, the game features environments from a lavish palace to decaying ruins to "reflect the contrast of modern London". London allowed the development team to use Beefeaters, royal guards and a cricket bat inspired by Shaun of the Dead. The cricket bat was the only melee weapon in the game's original Wii U version. After realizing that some players used the bat almost exclusively while playing the game, Shrager regretted not adding more melee weapons and thought that the players deserved a more-varied experience. The Wii U GamePad was described as a survival kit for players. It was inspired by the studio's previous game, Peter Jackson's King Kong, in which players make use of the environment to survive (such as using a torch to scare off enemies); the team made the GamePad a survival kit, taking considerable time to fine-tune the GamePad's functions. Although it was initially possible for players to plan strategy with the GamePad, they rarely did so. The team then retooled the system to include features such as the mini-map, resulting in players focusing on the GamePad and ignoring the action on the TV. Eventually, the team balanced player time on both screens by switching from first- to third-person perspective when the player uses the survival kit. Players are vulnerable when using the kit, prompting them to look at the TV screen while using the GamePad. This increases the game's tension, making it more scary to