want to start this off by showing some love for all the great guys and gals over at Unity. Who have equipped the Underdogs with a powerful tool to help us turn our dreams into reality.
And not to be overshadowed, The Unity Community who is easily most positive and helpful crew I’ve come across on the “interwebs” You guys Rock!
So I was thinking it would great to have a thread dedicated to all the do’s and dont’s and pitfalls of starting a indie game company.
Basically a guide for us Rookies who have just finished our first game and are trying to figure out what to do next.
First and foremost 99.8% of all indie game dreams never make it to a finished game. Given the state of gaming these days the other 0.2% of games only half ever get decent play.
So lets talk about the 0.1% of games out there that we can call a success.
Most are made by teams of talented up and coming pros, or super talented Indies.
So those are big odds to overcome. The trick I think is to form teams of talented people. Who are committed to a single goal. But that’s a tall order, especially if your developing skills and working unpaid over the internet. Even talented people can have divergent goals.
Frankly game ideas by new unskilled people are just about useless. I only say that because they have a history of exactly 0% chance of going anywhere. The game engine choice with regard to this is meaningless. I suggest trying to join an existing project with some skilled people and a game design you can get behind and commit to it.
Or on the other hand you can choose to have fun and work on games and develop skills. Which is less serious, has less chance of success but might be a stepping stone.
Well, I have 10+ years experience working as a games industry pro, and its pretty hard getting my first game to market(still not out yet - almost though…).
Some things I have learned are;
Its better to be an “upstart” rather then a “start up”.
Be professional and ethical, but trust no one (I know what this sounds like). And find a good Attorney!
Be persistent and a salesman, this may be more important then art or coding skills.
Sometimes you just gotta believe. Regardless of the stats of success. Sure maybe curbing enthusiasm might be the prudent thing to do. But I never thought my first game was going to be a success. I never planned it that way, it was always about getting familiar with the engine. With that said, can we get back on topic and just assume for arguments sake that someone created a killer game and needs information on how to proceed.
Do I have to start a game company in order to sell my game online. I would assume I have to at least have an LLC, right?
If you have gone through the process of creating a game and would like to share your experiences of creating a company and all the business aspect involved please do so. It would be really great to hear what you’ve gone through.
If it’s just you, you don’t need an LLC. A single-member LLC is taxed as a sole-proprietorship, anyway. I recommend picking up one of the Nolo books that explain the the differences among LLC’s, sole proprietorships, corporations, DBA’s…and while you’re at it, they have books that explain trademarks, copyrights, and contracts (e.g. I like the Nolo Legal Guide to Web and Software Development)
I formed an LLC partly to learn the ropes, theoretically to get that limited liability protection, but also because it seems easier to negotiate contracts if you’re listed on the contract as CONSULTING FIRM, LLC rather than Joe Schmo the independent contractor. But it costs me an extra $800 annual payment to the State of California (it varies per state)
I’m one of those “new unskilled” people, and I don’t care. I’ve filed my “fictitious name” with the county for my sole proprietorship and am full steam ahead for good times.
“Have fun or you’ll bore us.” - Marcel DuChamp
With that in mind my recipe for success is thus far to walk the razor’s edge between hard work and fun. So far I have successfully enjoyed making up crap.
