The Publishing Challenge for Independent Video game Developers-A Practical Guide

Cover......Page 1
Half Title......Page 2
Title Page......Page 4
Copyright Page......Page 5
Dedication......Page 6
Table of Contents......Page 8
Foreword......Page 14
Acknowledgments......Page 18
Author......Page 20
Contributors......Page 22
Chapter 1 Introduction......Page 26
 References......Page 36
Chapter 2 An Overview of The Indie PC and Console Market......Page 38
 Looking at Regions......Page 39
 Sifting Through Genres......Page 41
 Understanding Platforms......Page 43
 References......Page 49
Chapter 3 What Does Publishing Mean?......Page 52
 No “One-Size-Fits-All” Definition......Page 53
 Detailed Structure of Publishing......Page 54
  Distribution......Page 55
  Funding......Page 56
  Development......Page 62
  Support Services......Page 66
  Communication......Page 73
  First-Party Publishers......Page 81
  Developer–Publishers......Page 84
  Media Companies......Page 85
  Boutique Publishers......Page 86
 A Closer Look at Boutique Publishers......Page 87
 Online Stores Distribution Landscape......Page 91
 It Is All About Community Building and Servicing......Page 101
 References......Page 110
Chapter 4 Choosing Your Publishing Strategy......Page 114
 Checklist To Consider External Publishing......Page 116
  Do You Have The Right Team To Develop and Finish Your Game?......Page 117
  Are You Ready and able To Produce A Polished Prototype?......Page 118
  Are You Ready to Prepare High-Quality Pitching Documentation ?......Page 119
  Are You Looking For Project or Company Funding?......Page 121
  Are You Ready To Enter a Close and Intense Business Relationship ?......Page 123
  Are You Ready To Spend Time Pitching, Negotiating, And Be Rejected ?......Page 124
  Are You able To Finance The Gap Until The Contract is Signed?......Page 125
  What is Your Cash Flow Situation For The Complete Length of The Project?......Page 127
  Are You Ready To Eventually Share Your Intellectual Property (IP) and Enter A Long-Term Relationship?......Page 128
  Are You Ready To Accept Change Requests According To The Publisher’S Feedback?......Page 130
  Are You Ready To Fight Through and Negotiate A Long Legal Agreement ?......Page 131
  Do You Know A Lawyer To Support You in Setting Up The  Contract?......Page 132
  Are You Ready To Manage The Relationship?......Page 133
  Do You Understand The Structure and Organization of The Publisher and Their Philosophy ?......Page 134
  Are You Ready To Accept Strict Deadlines and Adapt Your Production Pipeline Accordingly?......Page 136
  Are You Ready To Maintain Clear Documentation of The  Project ?......Page 137
  Do You Have The Workforce and Willingness To Carry Out Marketing Activities?......Page 138
  Do You Know Your Target Group, Your Unique Selling Propositions, and Your Objectives?......Page 140
  Do You Know How To Best Manage The Lifetime Sales Of Your  Game?......Page 142
  Do You Already Have a Vibrant Community And Efficient Social Network Management?......Page 143
   Project Versus Company Funding......Page 147
   What are The Different Sources of Financing (Public/Private)......Page 150
   Opportunities For Co-Production......Page 153
   Position of a Publisher Towards Other Sources......Page 154
  Publisher’s Objectives......Page 161
  Developer’s Objectives......Page 162
  Key Legal Issues In Your Game Publishing Agreement......Page 163
  Additional Elements of The Game Publishing Agreement......Page 166
  Managing Partnerships In Publishing Deals: By Søren Lass......Page 167
   The Publisher Question: Financial And Strategic Consideration......Page 168
   Managing The Collaboration Process......Page 172
   The Commercial Results......Page 174
   Preparation is Key And After The Deal is Before The Deal......Page 176
   Questions To ask Yourself as a Developer When Choosing a Publisher......Page 177
   At The Beginning: Key Strategic Decisions And How To Make Them......Page 178
   When You Start: What Do You Need To Think about and How Do You Measure Success?......Page 184
   Wrapping Up......Page 192
  Turning a Concept Into a Good Prototype......Page 193
  Starting Showcasing and Getting Fee Dback......Page 194
  Looking For a Publisher and Finding a Publishing Deal......Page 195
  Milestones, Localization, And Qa......Page 203
   A Captivating Atmosphere......Page 204
   Solve Puzzles At The Speed of Sound......Page 205
   Play On Your Own or With Friends......Page 206
  Press And Advertising......Page 207
  Community Building......Page 209
  Participation At Fairs And Fest Ivals......Page 213
  Distribution, Store Management, Coordination of Marketing Activities......Page 217
 References......Page 220
 General Recommendations By Julian Broich......Page 222
  Self-Publishing Check List......Page 225
  Publishing And Distribution Platforms For PC And Virtual  Reality......Page 226
  Qa And Localization......Page 227
  The Marketing Plan......Page 228
  Your Own Website And Internet Presence......Page 229
  Content Creators......Page 230
  Forums And Other Platforms......Page 231
  Hashtags And Bots......Page 233
 Reference......Page 234
Chapter 6 Conclusion......Page 262
 References......Page 267
Index......Page 268