Starting up a Game Making Firm?

[SaintInix]

So, as the title states.

What are folks thoughts, in general, on starting up a game design 'company' if you will.

I realize most people here work with RPG Maker, but the scope of stuff in the Game Making bundle has me thinking.

In particular, about 5 games I have in mind.

I realize with IGMC 2015 in full swing, people are quite busy. Afterward though, some folks may have time.

Also, with some of my ideas, I think it's possible to get a game out of the gate that can help keep the company afloat for a while, until something else is released.

This is without using kickstarter of course. Though possibly some Twitch/GoFundMe/YouTube revenue as well.

 

[Andar]

You can plan for it and prepare your game as if you're going commercial, but I would advice to only go commercial after the game is finished.


While this might loose you some tax deduction for purchasing or commissioning resources, it will also spare you in case the project never completes and all the money you put into the company is lost.


And no one can know the amount of work a commercial game is unless they already completed a game (including bughunt)


More thoughts about that are in the commercial area, where this discussion belongs.


I've moved this thread to Commercial Discussions. Please be sure to post your threads in the correct forum next time. Thank you.

 

[TherainED]

The only thing I would object to this is experience running a business, as small as it may be. And that's me assuming you lack experience in that field and have it in the other...let's call them "required" fields, which I don't really know.

And even, lacking skills on other areas is not so important, as a company works with employees that have complementary knowledge. In other words, you won't find a company entirely made out of people who know only 3D modeling, scripting or only one discipline for that matter. At least not a gaming company.

So, yeah, if you know how to manage a firm and have a good group of people working W/ you, I don't see any kind of issue. Of course, the next big deal would be where to find those people, but since you've made this post, I think it's quite clear what you're looking for.

Even though, more information would be appreciated for those who are interested. Stuff like what do your projects involve, how many people do you need/want working on them, what is the main point of attention/purpose/target for said projects, etc...

More info is always good, no matter the matter.

PD: Also, of less importance but something to consider: Would you be willing to carry with projects your "empoyees" may be working on? Have in mind that the main reason a lot of people is here is to develop small titles, but that doesn't mean they don't have bigger ideas that, being part of a group, they may be willing to take on.

 

[BeardBro]

Working with strangers on any project via the internet can prove challenging in ways you might not expect. I've done so several times, and even tried to start up a game creation 'company' a few years ago, but the other members of team became busy with school/work and everything puttered out. It takes a particular set of skills to head up a company - especially one where the employees are only accessible online - but it isn't impossible.

Andar makes a good point about going commercial after a project is released. Now, if you have the funds to sign contracts and start paying employees right off the bat, that's one thing. That would be the start of a real company where you have seniority, deadlines, creative control, and influence in production. However, simply collaborating with others on a project is a horse of a different color. Anyone is willing to be an employee for right price. Finding someone who will collaborate with you is a more challenging prospect.

If you are wanting people to simply collaborate with you under a collective name, you'll need to be aware that everyone has a different role to fill. That being said, being the head of a group of collaborators does not necessarily give you free reign to dish out commands. It's more tedious than that. You'll need to have long, detailed discussions with the group about the project, agree on a project, and designate roles accordingly.

All of that being said, I honestly dream of working for an 'online studio' where I can work from home and make passive income on the games we create. If the company blows up and becomes huge, I would even be willing to move to an office. I have business experience, education in Creative and Graphic design, marketing, and a whole bunch of other stuff that doesn't benefit me in my current job. Right now, making games in a hobby. I'd love to turn that into a career.

 

[Engr. Adiktuzmiko]

Working with a team in RM isn't as easy as with other engines, there are quite a number of procedures you need to follow to ensure everything would work fine and no one will accidentally overwrite something.


It would also be a bit different depending if ur going to commission things up or hire employees part/full time


Anyway, if you go with it, I wish you the best.

 

[SaintInix]

Thanks for the responses guys, and to Andar, for moving the thread.

I apologize, I did attempt to place it in the right area, didn't contemplate that any money involved would put it under Commercial.

I would envision a small team, 2-6 people, with 4 probably being ideal.

1 Scripter/Coder, 1 Artist, 1 Audio/Sound, 1 Writer.

Each particular person could do more, if they had the skills. Anyone experienced with website design/blogging, could handle that sort of thing etc.

My Ideas span the range. However, I think it's crucial to the continued operation to put out something 'Casual', free to play, with add-based bonuses, and micro-transactions.

I understand some people may not agree with this, but a loyal following of add-only players, could still generate the income to pay the bills at least.

Here's my breakdown of production in a studio, if I were to have the ability to decide these things.

1. Casual Game (Got an idea already, it's kinda funny, but dark, basic mapping done)

2. Horror Game/Zombie Game (Have this already planned, some of the writing done)

3. Massive Space Sim (Have a good-ish premise for this, kinda overused, but I like it)

4. Epic Fantasy Sim (Started work on mapping)

5. Sci-Fi Post-Apocalyptic Series (A bunch written down)

These last three, hell, even 4 could be interchanged as the flow saw fit. The idea is to get the casual game up first to generate some kind of income.

After that, and money starts showing up in checking accounts, there would probably be some re-structuring. Some people able to move more to design as a full-time position. Other people dropping out, or taking a lesser role.

Like it or not, people are shifting away from paying for a game up-front, unless it's from a well known developer. Free games, people try all the time.

The biggest point here, is to get the first game on as many platforms as possible. You can be a little more picky after that, but you want the widest audience to draw from for that base funding.

Thoughts?

(Up there are my ideas for what I would do, games I would develop. Any joint venture involves deciding on what is best for a team, and not just one vision. I am serious about it though, I've gone from nothing to a working game demo in a month, while learning the engine. This isn't just a plaything for me, I want to make a living at this.)

 

[Engr. Adiktuzmiko]

Since you want to make cross platform, which engine do you plan to use?

 

[SaintInix]

Since you want to make cross platform, which engine do you plan to use?

I was thinking one of the engines in the Humble Bundle. You could go with Stencyl, or the AGK 2.

The Humble Bundle is what got me thinking about this in the first place. I figure a lot of people here have all those programs now.

 

[Engr. Adiktuzmiko]

We do, but probably not the experience needed. At least not yet.

 

[SaintInix]

We do, but probably not the experience needed. At least not yet.

That's my idea with the 'Casual' game being the first. Most of these casual games run on taps, or time. Player skill isn't as big a factor.

Also, they usually have a lot less art, and other stuff. Just Look at Bitcoin Billionare, or Fallout Shelter. There's really not much there, not compared to a lengthy RPG.

 

[Engr. Adiktuzmiko]

They're not actually most of the time easier to do though. Sometimes they're actually a bit hard too.

 

[SaintInix]

They're not actually most of the time easier to do though. Sometimes they're actually a bit hard too.

Of course, I don't doubt it will still be a difficult thing to do. I just think in terms of scope, it's a bite-sized chunk compared to a mouthful.

 

[BeardBro]

I think you could easily make a fair amount of passive income from a game with ads or microtransactions. The alternative would be to create a short, professional game and sell it for cheap on Steam, Origin, Play Store, etc. Lots of up-and-coming game companies made their start with a short game like Braid, The Bridge, or a similar alternative (thoses games were made by existing companies, but they were made on a budget and generated a lot of income which is why I referenced them).

A team of four sounds like a good starting group. You can mix and match roles, for instance a writer often makes a good designer or co-designer. During the creation of a game, a need for empty roles will often arise and the existing group will have to evolve to meet the project's needs. This is pretty standard, and I'm sure you've given thought to that already.

If you're serious about this, the first order of business is to secure a headquarters, whether that be a free forum created with something like Zetaboards, or your own website. Your team will need a good environment in which to work, so I would start working on that ASAP.

Edited to keep the conversation on-topic.

 

[Sharm]

SaintInix, this isn't the recruitment section.  If you want to talk about how a gaming firm works, that's fine.  If you want to recruit for it, you'll need to post in recruitment.

 

[SaintInix]

Sorry Sharm, I didn't expect it to turn this direction.

Things kinda happened fast last night.

I will put something up over there, and I'll keep the discussion to general firm ideas and stuff here.

 

[bgillisp]

One thing I'd be careful of: Make sure the income from the casual game is enough to fund a firm. I've heard (somewhere) that the average casual game only makes $1000 total (due to how flooded the market is), and somehow I don't see that being enough to fund a firm for longer than a week (tops). You're going to have to beat the average for this to work (of course, that is true with about any approach in game making these days).

However, that being said, you could do my approach. What I'm doing is working on the game with side income from a second job (which is teaching night classes at a community college). That way I still have my main income in case I fail, and I'm only giving up 1 - 2 nights a week for that side income. Of course, there is the disadvantage of it can be hard to find the time to finish a game, which is why I'm also budgeting 3 years to finish the first game.

 

[SaintInix]

Well, it depends on the amount of people you have to work with.

If you can assemble a couple teams, and each put some part-time, investment hours (Let's say) into getting a couple casual games off the ground.

From there, you'd find out that one person lives in an area where wages are low, and could focus 40 Hours a week on the game for a small dollar amount.

Considering the different countries people are from, I could imagine this happening.

Not only that, but you setup a GoFundMe, with backers getting special gifts, rare stuff, signed copies, life-time keys for all games, etc. Post YouTube videos of gameplay, host live game design Twitch streams. If one or two people has the time, it could generate a fair residual stream.

Hell, branch out, if the group continually comes up with funny stuff, start posting skits and sketches. Do Tutorial videos for the Game Design tools. Start a Web-comic if you've got the extra artistic talent. Diversify is what I'm saying.

It's tough to make it these days, instead of 'All the eggs in one basket' with a single game you spent years on, mix it up, get your foot in the door. Then go after that masterpiece game.

Just like the advice here in the tutorials and from all the Vets, don't start off big. Start off small and work up.

At least, that's my take on it. Only thing I've ever had published so far is a few poems, and a mugshot. Haha.

 

[Engr. Adiktuzmiko]

I'm from a fairly low wage country, in which case a normal 40 hour work week for a minimum wage earner would earn around $50. So in the case of a $1000 game, then if you only have a single worker and all that money will go into that, then that worker could work for 20 weeks which is around 5 months. For a team of 4, then you'd only have around a 5 weeks. That is assuming they will be willing to work at minimum wage.

 

[Kes]

Just a couple of other factors to take into account.

Custom music and artwork - whether you're commissioning an independent person or hoping to get someone who can do these onto the team, people with these skills don't come cheap.  Nor can you rely on a low wage economy to stay that way - or it might be that the person finds a slightly better paid job elsewhere.  Building a business plan around low wages is fraught, in whatever field you are operating in.  And of course wages have to be paid up front, long before revenue starts coming in.

You mention assembling a couple of teams.  Managing a team is hard work, a couple of teams is double hard work.  If you are spending your time managing, then you have less time to contribute to game making.

 

[Engr. Adiktuzmiko]

Also, working with a team from different countries is quite hard. Especially if you'll be on different time zones. I've been there.