From Idea to Income How to be successful at independent games
Who is this guy? Daniel Menard Co-founder and CEO
Big Action Mega Fight!
First Cohort
Founded
Creative Expression
No Limitations
Innovation
The Indie Dream Creative expression No limitations Innovation Push the industry forward
The Indie Reality Entrepreneurship first Probably won t make you rich ~90% of new companies fail
Crowded Market
The Indie Reality Failure is part of the game Passion alone isn t enough Releasing is only half the battle
Your Battlefields Financing Scope / Time Right project Right market Hiring Management
Party of Sin Puzzle-platformer
Party of Sin Puzzle-platformer Local coop
Party of Sin Puzzle-platformer Local coop Steam release
Party of Sin Puzzle-platformer Local coop Steam release Originally meant for consoles
Party of Sin Team of ~8 Working remotely Revenue share deal Kickstarter
Party of Sin 3.5 years Part time I quit my job in April 2012 Released in December 2012
What we thought would happen Decent reviews Massive Steam sales Profitable over time (~1 year)
What actually happened Mixed reviews Marketing and store placement not great Mediocre sales 98% piracy
My career is over!
Most important lesson It s okay to fail It is a necessary step toward success
Five Whys From Toyota Ask Why? at least 5 times Get to the root cause
The great postmortem Honest picture of our game and process Mistakes we would never make again Crankshaft Games Code of Conduct
Professionalism Is this going to be your hobby or your career? Party of Sin started as a hobby Must be accountable to your players Constantly learning
Business Model Be clear on how you will make money Pricing is complicated Keep in mind the expectations of anyone giving you money
Build a solid team Hire talented people you will trust
Build a solid team Hire talented people you will trust Hire people when you know they re the one
Build a solid team Hire talented people you will trust Good teams don t need managers
Build a solid team Hire talented people you will trust Good teams don t need managers Give everyone a stake
Build a solid team Hire talented people you will trust Good teams don t need managers Give everyone a stake Breadth Generalists Depth
Leave your ego at the door Keep an open mind Share creative freedom, it will be good for you Party of Sin was too centralized Take feedback as an opportunity to learn Acknowledge your weaknesses
Work-Life Balance Sustainable Development
Work-Life Balance Sustainable Development Eliminate crunch and burnout
Work-Life Balance Sustainable Development Eliminate crunch and burnout Give people control over how they contribute
Work-Life Balance Sustainable Development Eliminate crunch Give people control over how they contribute Work-Life Balance
Mind your time / scope Common pitfall: put everything you think is cool in your first game Don t fall in love with your project What if you were paying someone? Don t build an engine unless you sell engines
Studio Thinking Think beyond just one project Have a unifying vision Most studios will not display it publicly It s important to stick out
Hit Driven Business You will be defined by the games you make How you make those games is more important Your first few will be bad Focus on the process Build your company culture
Execution Labs Incubator program for mobile indie games in Montreal Funding for 9 months Mentorship from industry experts
Team Catalyst Designer Programmer Programmer Artist Programmer
Support Resouces Analytics Monetization Marketing
Mentorship Amazing Network Feedback all through the process
How Incubators Can Help Shared experience Leadership / vision coaching Someone on your side
Make the best of incubator Nurture your team Be ready to learn Speak out, give feedback Think as a company, not a product Evolve your process Mind the schedule
References The Lean Startup by Eric Ries Four Steps to the Epiphany by Steve Blank Valve Handbook for New Employees Ideas per Second by Nathan Marts (GDC 2013) http://mashable.com/2013/02/28/indie-game-statistics/ http://indiegames.com/2013/04/the_8_keys_to_indie_success.html http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/thomassteinke/20130415/19048 4/Reponse_to_quot8_keys_to_indie_successquot.php
Thank You! www.doublestalliongames.com @dblstallion