转载出处：https://blog.csdn.net/c252270036/article/details/44749395
创建自己的游戏工作室的72个建议
作者：James Batchelor
在创建你自己的游戏工作室之前，你需要考虑许多事—-至少有72个要点需要你铭记。以下是来自产业专家，独立开发者等人所分享的内容。
72 tips(from develop-online)
新手入门
1.“在创建你自己的公司前，先问问自己为什么要这么做—-并给自己一个诚实的答案。你是想要获得名气还是财富？是想成为一名受欢迎的美术师还是游戏业务中的能人？这些都很酷。你需要明确自己真正的热情所向，因为创造游戏并不是件简单的事，你需要拥有一个更高的目标去推动自己向前进。”Imre Jele（Bossa Studios）
2.“构想你想在五年内将工作室发展成什么样，并不断问自己现在所做的事是否能够推动你更接近目标。”Dan Pinchbeck（The Chinese Room）
3.“每一次都双倍估算你所创造的一切。你可能非常擅于估算创造某些内容所需要的时间，但通常情况下总是会有1001件事阻挡着你。”Will Wright（Hidden Armada）
4.“记得你不只是在创造一支创造性团队—-你同时也在启动一个商业实体。不要轻视这一点；你有可能因此成功也有可能就此身败名裂。”Simon Bennett（Roll7）
5.“将其当成一项业务。编写文件并与任何合作对象签订协议。在一开始就明确IP所有权以及每个个体的报酬。”Frank Delise（Autodesk）
6.“你将会拥有许多职称：商人，PR，HR。请勇敢地向人们呈现你所做的事。要知道理念是廉价的，只有执行才是关键。”Marc Williamson（Tag Games）
7.“对于任何小型独立工作室来说，除了创造游戏外还要做好花费大量时间去执行不同任务的准备。”Charlie Czerkawski（Guerilla Tea）
8.“想想你的用户。他们选择了怎样的平台？他们使用的是哪些设备？他们未来会在哪里？他们会购买什么设备？确保你的内容能够使用适当的跨平台工具而有效触及用户。一个灵活且有未来保障的游戏基础意味着你将在这条路上待更久。”Charlie Peachey（Marmalade Technologies）
获取资金
9.“关于资金方面总是拥有一个B计划。即不管是自己的储蓄，兼职工作还是卖掉你的身体器官等等。如果说电子游戏中有一件事是没有保证的，那便是赚钱的能力。”Nicoll Hunt（I Fight Bears）
10.“调查你可以从哪里获得资金。确保自己清楚英国的税收政策是会减免你20%的制作成本，同时还要了解研发的税收费用。知道如何评估自己的IP的价值—-不只是关于游戏，还包括技术，人力，技能等等。了解自己在所处不同阶段需要什么类型的投资者。”Jo Twist（UKIE）
11.“如果你可以自己投资创造游戏，这是最好的。如此你便能够避免额外的压力以及丢失IP的问题。你会发现与投资者协商，办理各种手续以及处理法务事宜会浪费许多时间。”Katie Goode（Preloaded）
12.“相应地计划你的财务。避免所有不必要的开支。如果你懂得有效索取并能够从自己所做的事中创造利益的话你便能够免费获得许多内容：如软件的延长试用许可，展览费等等。”Russ Clarke（Payload Studios）
13.“为开发筹集资金而不是为市场营销。如果你拥有出色的测试参数的话你便能够轻松地获得市场营销资金。但是如果你在前两个游戏理念中遭遇失败时，你便很难再为第三个游戏理念筹集到资金。你应该寻找那些能够理解你的投资者。”Simon Hade（Space Ape Games）
14.“在真正需要的时候才去注册VAT。了解游戏税款减免政策。”Fiona Stewart（Formerdroid）
15.“资金来源经常不愿意提供现金—-对于你说的会用这些钱做什么事是没有任何保证的。相反地，你应该让投资者资助一些开发者所需要的有形事物，如PC和其它设备。”Joe Brammer（Deco Digital）
16.“我们所获得的最惨痛的教训便是未给技术留出足够的预算。这就像在建造你自己的方子一样：不管你最初拥有多少预算，你都应该将其乘以4，如此才能获得适当的结果。”Jessica Curry（The Chinese Room）
17.“接受你需要与‘专家们’，如会计，律师以及银行界的人等建立良好关系的现实。”Paras Khona（Mediatonic）
18.“如果你打算创建自己的工作室但却没有足够的资金，那么你首先需要获得一些资金去支付工资，购买硬件和软件，支付前往各种活动的旅费。一开始你需要创造一个游戏原型去讨好投资者，之前的一些成绩也能够带来帮助。”Dan Da Rocha（Mudvark）
开设办公室
19.“不要太快为你的工作室租赁办公室。这是很费钱的。不要低估运行并维持一家工作室和员工的成本。确保在组建一家注册公司前你已经与团队合作过多个项目了。”Fiona Stewart（Formerdroid）
20.“在真正需要的时候才拥有一家实体办公室。那时候拥有舒适的椅子，可靠的网络连接非常重要。”Nicoll Hunt（I Fight Bears）
21.“如果你身处一个注重区域发展的城市，请与地方政府进行交谈。你肯定能够发现一些很棒的交易。尝试着寻找拥有足够空间，具有办公条件的场所。”Robert Troughton（Epic Games UK）
22.“远程工作可能难以管理团队，所以你需要始终跟进团队的工作进程。每天打一通电话并了解每位团队成员昨天所做的事，今天将做的事，以及他们是否遇到任何瓶颈。千万不要公开指责对方，这并不能带给你任何帮助。”JP Vaughan（Rocket Rainbow）
业务
23.“精通开发业务很重要，这不只是为了创造并维持一个可持续业务，同时也是为了吸引投资者的注意。有很多开发者忽视了这一点而专注于创造性与技术方面，并因此在不到18个月内便销声匿迹了。”ick Gibson（Games Investor Consulting）
24.“不要太快达成协议。要彻底评估所有选择，征求意见并决定什么才是对于你的业务最重要的。”Alex McLean（Engine Room Games）
25.“业务方面非常重要。你可以从产业中的一些专家身上获得建议。虽然他们都很昂贵，但是你只需要一点点建议便可，这能在之后带给你更大的帮助。也有很多专家愿意通过电话免费接受你的咨询。”Philip Oliver（Radian Worlds）
26.“不要漏掉细节：合同，账号，股东关系以及其它与游戏不相干的事宜。明确谁对每一件事负责，并确保他们拥有足够的时间和资源去做这些事。”Vincent Scheurer（Payload Studios）
27.“保持更新账目。它们能够帮助你做出一些重要的业务决策，如控制钱财并应对风险。Manager.io便是一种有效且免费的记账工具—-你也可以用它去制作发票。”JP Vaughan（Rocket Rainbow）
28.“你的大多数时间都将投入于管理，处理杂物，跟进业务领导等等工作。这样的负担将随着你的团队的壮大而壮大。你不要期待着能够将所有时间都致力于开发工作，也不要犹豫着不敢请求同事的帮忙。即使你肩负最大的工作责任也不会因此获得奖金。”Russ Clarke（Payload Studios）
法律方面
29.“在合同方面请求律师的帮忙。劳工法和版权法都非常复杂。不要因为花钱获得一些特定的资产就认为自己可以在任何地方使用它们。”Danielle Swank（Barking Mouse studio）
30.“以防万一先制定一份合同，并在签订前始终考虑这些万一。”Barry Hoffman（Eutechnyx）
31.“与联合创始人一起制定适当的所有权结构—-这可以避免在之后花更多时间进行争吵。这意味着：事先明确股权。为此制定适当的文件。使用股权协议去明确如何运行公司。与游戏产业的律师维持良好的关系，他们能够给你建议，告诉你如何在合法的内容上花钱。游戏产业将逐渐变得更加规范：你应该重视数据保密性，了解消费者法，市场营销法以及免费管制开发。”Jas Purewal（Purewal & Partners）
接触
32.“注册公司。这非常简单且成本也不高，并且你能够长期获得红利。这能够确保你不用承担个人责任，你能够基于各种不同的方式与创始人，合作伙伴与投资者接洽。这也具有税收利益。为你的工作室或产品选择一个名字，并明确它是否有效。思考如何申请一些商标保护并尽早获得一些域名以避免其他人的偷窃。”Mark Fardell（Jagex）
33.“除非你非常幸运，否则你的工作室便需要来自其他人的帮助才有可能获得成功。为了获得机遇，友谊和知识，你不仅需要投入时间，同时还需要去创造并维持与别人之间的关系。”Alex McLean（Engine Room Games）
34.“使用社交媒体。发帖，关注那些会说些有趣的事的人和组织。不要表现得太过严肃，但需要尽可能的专业。人们总是喜欢一些有个性的内容。”Jo Twist（UKIE）
35.“融入你的社区。工作室总是会面临一些资深的挑战，但是你却不需要独自面对着核心挑战。有许多独立开发者很乐意分享自己来自不易的经历。如果你找不到当地的工作室，那就请求社交媒体的帮助或者通过参加各种会议接触更多人。”Jim Fleming（Barking Mouse Studio）
36.“在会议后登录社交媒体以留下深刻印象。”Barry Hoffman（Eutechnyx）
聘请一支团队
37.“尽可能参加更多会议（游戏邦注：在你的预算和时间允许的情况下）。不要忽视一些‘小人物’—-有时候他们可能会逆袭，如果你不能记住他们，有可能在之后当你需要他们帮忙时会被忽视。所以只有你先帮助别人才能够期待别人也能帮助你。”Robert Troughton（Epic Games UK）
38.“网络并非对所有人都是益友般的存在。产业是需要相互支持的，社交能够在起步阶段带给你更多帮助。而如果是在开发中间阶段花费太多时间与同一艘船上的其他人接触，结果就完全不同。”Helen Burnill（Mediatonic）
39.“如果你是个老板，那就努力成为一个好老板。鼓励员工，而不是打击他们。你将能够从中获益。”Fiona Stewart（Formerdroid）
40.“花时间去寻找人才是一支团队获得成功的最关键指标。比起游戏设计，你应该更加专注于获取之前曾一起合作过的人才（如开发者，美术师等等）。”Simon Hade（Space Ape Games）
41.“当你想要挖那些在其它工作室上班的员工时一定要小心。误会和过激反应将会给你带来伤害。你需要记住：你要聘请的人也有他们自己的职业规划，也许他们不会告诉你一切。你需要尽早识别一切有问题的合同条款，并坚持一些书面协议。”Russ Clarke（Payload Studios）
42.“找到一支愿意免费为你工作并承诺给予对方版权和股权看似非常吓人，但这却是可行的。有些美术师一开口谈论的便是钱。而那些我所选择的人都知道我没有足够的资金支付他们薪资，所以从一开始我便需要确保所有人能做好共存六个月的准备。”Joe Brammer（Deco Digital）
43.“找到一个适当的合作伙伴。创建一家工作室就跟结婚与生小孩一样。这需要你度过好几个不眠之夜并投入一些新开支。所以你应该确保能够找到一些愿意与你分担的人。”Danielle Swank（Barking Mouse Studio）
44.“找到一个你喜欢且可靠的合作对象。当你获得这样的合作关系时，请一定努力维持它们—-即能够愉快地创造游戏体验。”Oliver Clarke（Modern Dream）
45.“曾经有一些顾问，投资者和顶级开发者告诉我，团队管理非常重要。你应该尽可能地创造一支具有良好管理和领导能力的团队。”Richard Wilson（TIGA）
46.“从一开始便掌握工作室招聘的所有权。不要被外部代理或那些尝试着利用你作为新手的劣势的组织牵着鼻子走。明确你自己的公司文化和质量标准，并毫不妥协地坚持它们。早期的聘请工作对于你未来的成功至关重要。”Peter Lovell（Jagex）
47.“尽管你的团队较小，你可能会因此觉得自己缺少一些专业人士，但在你真正明确需要那些全职技能型人才前千万不要轻易聘请它们。相反地你可以从其它初创企业获得一些专家或贸易资源。”Mike Burnham（Marmalade Game Studio）
传播消息
48.“尽早且频繁地进行推广。向全世界告知你的工作室的存在以及即将问世的游戏，分享任何新消息，如开发进展等等。如果你等到游戏准备好才这么做的话，一切就太迟了。”Will Wright（Hidden Armada）
49.“PR就像一艘两步式火箭：使用PR去获取合作伙伴，然后合作伙伴将帮助你推动发展。”Barry Hoffman（Eutechnyx）
50.“比起游戏开发，投入更多时间和精力于PR。”Philip Oliver（Radiant Worlds）
51.“从一开始就制定好你的工作室USP，创造强大且活跃的社交渠道，并明确你想要获得什么的计划。制定推广时间或寻求外部帮助—-千万不要忽视它，否则后果自负。将自己塑造成是带有远见且在特殊领域具有专长的人，然后向媒体提供你的看法。这是在拥有可呈现的游戏内容前获得一定名气的一种有效方法。”Natalie Griffith（Press Space PR）
52.“记者总是想要写些故事。但是来自新开发者的新游戏并不是他们所感兴趣的故事。所以请跟他们分享你的不同之处。”Nicoll Hunt（I Fight Bears）
53.“让你的员工也参与你的PR工作，包括制定定期的社交媒体文件，编写杂志文章等等工作。这是推动士气的一种有效方式。尝试着为所有人着想，而不是一味地关心自己的管理和领导地位。”Robert Troughton（Epic Games UK）
54.“不要低估在线市场营销的作用。确保能够让一些优秀的网络评论者评论你的项目—-他们将能让你的游戏得到关注，特别是在Kickstarter活动期间。”Frank Delise（Autodesk）
55.“如果你想知道为什么一些看起来很一般的游戏却取得了成功，那么有可能是其开发者隐藏了足够的资金去进行广告推广。当游戏有可能赚到2000英镑的时候你要做好投入1000英镑做广告的准备。或者你可以花钱在EGX等展会上购买摊位与玩家进行面对面的交流。”Dan Marshall（Size Five Games）
选择适当的工具
56.“不要白费功夫去重新创造工具。通常情况下已经有人创造了一些工具，直接使用这些工具比你自己去创造工具更省事。有些非常厉害的游戏引擎都不是很贵。并且同样适用于美术师，程序员和设计师。所以你只需要创造自己需要的内容便可。”Oliver Clarke（Modern Dream）
57.“存在许多便宜的后端和中间件服务能够给予你技术上的支持并为你节省宝贵的时间。你应该将更多时间用于创造游戏。”Adam Fletcher（Mediatonic）
一般建议
58.“一开始你通常都不知道什么是最有效的方法。你应该着眼于雇员所提供的任何有关软件的建议—-他们往往比你更了解它们的性能。”Simon Doyle（Team Junkfish）
59.“提供给员工最棒的工具，即使这更昂贵，但在制作游戏的时候这却是需要投入的成本。”Barry Hoffman（Eutechnyx）
60.“创新非常重要。手机和平板电脑是个非常拥挤的市场，所以不管你的作品是拥有像Futurlab的《Velocity 2x》那样出色的图像和动画风格还是像Somthin的《Else’s Papa Sangre》那样独特的音频呈现，你都应该问问自己该如何创造一些与众不同的内容。”Richard Wilson（TIGA）
61.“总是存在‘适当的解决方法’和‘如今的最佳解决方法’。你应该学习何时在其中做出选择，以及何时去修订选择。先从简单的开始并快速进行迭代对于你所做的大多事来说都是有效的。始终了解你的竞争者在做些什么。”Alex McLean（Engine Room Games）
62.“拥有一个导师。与那些曾经建立过业务的人进行交谈非常有帮助。他们能告诉你如何填写Needlessly Wordy Form No.114，如果你不能有效地填写便会损失30%的利益。”Simon Doyle（Team Junkfish）
63.“未了解目标用户以及他们想要什么的游戏创造注定会遭遇失败。你应该想象有个人喜欢你的游戏—-而你需要完全了解这个人。如此其他9999999玩家便会随之而来。”Imre Jele（Bossa Studios）
64.“更机智地工作而不是更卖力地工作。寻找一些能够让你的工作变得更轻松的工具和服务—-当真正开始做事时你将花费大量时间去组织与交流，所以你需要更有效率。”Matt Zanetti（Guerilla Tea）
65.“专注于创造能够让你的游戏变得更加优秀的独特功能—-使用现有的解决方法去解决任何问题。一旦你创造了一个功能或机制，那就开始进行迭代。最佳学习技巧便是先尝试做某些事，然后再做一遍，如此结果便会变得更好。”Harvey Elliott（Marmalade Technologies）
66.“保持独特。不要与那些已经足够突出且获得成功的游戏相抗衡。”Philip Oliver（Radiant Worlds）
67.“我们总是很容易长时间沉浸于工作中而影响到自己的正常生活。你应该适当地休息，如此才能保持注意力—-如果你感到疲倦的话将对你们公司的成功造成不利影响。人们一天不应该在电脑前待12个小时以上。虽然这听起来很容易，但是一旦你进入开始阶段，你便很难去想其它事。”Dan Da Rocha（Mudvark）
68.“加入一个贸易机构将带给你自己和你的公司很大的帮助，你能够节省一些服务，活动和工具的费用，并能够拥有专属的个人介绍。你同时也能在一些会影响到你的政策决定中拥有发言权。”Jo Twist（UKIE）
69.“如果你希望创造利益，你的业务策略便需要比你的任何游戏理念更具有创造性且更加健全。你应该进行搜索。找到能够让你更加突出的领域，不管多立基，然后始终专注于你的核心竞争力或IP。”Nick Pendriis（Hoverfly Studio）
70.“当你在创造下一款游戏时，你应该先思考一些问题：它将传达什么？它有什么独特之处和乐趣？它与其它游戏有什么不同？进行一次模拟评论：评论者会如何评价你的游戏？这能够帮助你进行宣传，不管是在Kickstarter上还是面向发行商。”Frank Delise（Autodesk）
71.“如果你的第一款游戏发行过去了几个月，那就开始计划你的第二款游戏。我们总是很容易过度专注于如何完成游戏。即使完成了游戏你也仍需要去支持它，所以你应该做好两边跑的准备。”Mitu Khandaker-Kokoris（The Tiniest Shark）
72.“引人注目的最佳方法便是创造一些与众不同的内容。基于一些奇特的内容你甚至能够战胜一些AAA级游戏—-至少能够得到人们的关注：曝光率对于成功的贡献是90%。而如果你正在创造一款复制游戏，请停下来吧。”Kevin Beimers（Italic Pig）
（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，拒绝任何不保留版权的转功，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）
72 tips on starting your own game studio
By James Batchelor
There’s never been an easier time to branch out on your own, but there are many things you need to consider before hand – at least 72 of them, in fact. Develop asks industry experts, indies and more to share their wisdom.
Getting started
1. “Before you start your company, ask yourself why are you doing this – and give a very honest answer. Do you want fame or fortune? To be celebrated as an artist or be a powerful force in the games business? All are cool. Just make sure you identify your true passion, because making games isn’t easy and you will need that higher purpose to drive you forward.”
Imre Jele, Bossa Studios
2. “Figure out the studio you want to be in five years time, and constantly ask yourself if what you are doing gets you closer to that goal.”
Dan Pinchbeck, The Chinese Room
3. “Double every time estimate you make. You might be great at estimating how long something will take, but 1,001 things will get in the way.”
Will Wright, Hidden Armada
4. “Remember you are not just building a creative team – you are also starting a commercial entity. Do not take this lightly; it will make or break you.”
Simon Bennett, Roll7
5. “Treat it like a business. Document and create agreements with everyone you work with. Make it clear from the beginning the IP ownership rights and how individuals will get paid. Get it out of the way in the beginning so you’re all on the same page. “
Frank Delise, Autodesk
6. “You will wear many hats: business, PR, HR. Don’t be afraid to show what you’re working on. Ideas are cheap, execution is key.”
Marc Williamson, Tag Games
7. “For any small indie studio, be prepared to spend a LOT of time doing tasks other than actually making the games.”
Charlie Czerkawski, Guerilla Tea
8. “Think about your audience. What platforms are they on? What devices are they using? Where might they be in the future? What devices will they buy? Make sure your content is ready to go wherever they are by using the right cross-platform tools from the outset. A flexible, future-proof foundation for your game means it’ll stay relevant and engaging for longer.”
Charlie Peachey, Marmalade Technologies
Finding funding
9. “Always have a plan B when it comes to funding. It doesn’t matter if it’s savings, freelance work or selling body parts. If there’s one thing not guaranteed in video games, it’s the ability to make money.”
Nicoll Hunt, I Fight Bears
10. “Research which pots of money you can access. Make sure you know about UK tax breaks to get 20 per cent back off your game production costs, as well as the R&D tax breaks. Understand how to value what IP you have – not just the game, but tech, people and skills too. Know what kinds of investors you should be targeting for the stage you are at.”
Jo Twist, UKIE
11. “If you can fund a game yourself, it’s worth it. The extra pressure or loss of IP isn’t. You’ll find that it saps a lot of your time with with negotiating, builds, formalities, lawyers – when you can just get on and make it”
Katie Goode, Preloaded
12. “Plan your finances accordingly. Avoid all expenses that are not absolutely essential. You can get a lot for free if you ask nicely and create some interest in what you’re doing: for example, extended trial licenses for software, expo fees and so on.
Russ Clarke, Payload Studios
13. “Raise money for development, not marketing. It’s easy to find marketing dollars if you have good beta metrics. It’s hard to raise money for your third game idea when you’ve killed the first two. Find investors who understand this.”
Simon Hade, Space Ape Games
14. “Don’t register for VAT until you need to. Learn about games tax relief.”
Fiona Stewart, Formerdroid
15. “Funding sources are often weary about giving cash to people – there is no guarantee you’ll do what you say with the money. Instead, ask your sources to fund more tangible things that developers need, such as PCs and other equipment.”
Joe Brammer, Deco Digital
16. “The lesson that has cost us (literally) most dearly is not allowing enough in the budget for the tech spend. It’s like building your own house: whatever you had in the budget originally, quadruple it and you’re probably about right. Ignore this advice at your peril!”
Jessica Curry, The Chinese Room
17. “Accept you will need to have good relationships with ‘professionals’ – accountants, lawyers, people in banks.”
Paras Khona, Mediatonic
18. “If you’re looking to start your own studio and don’t have deep pockets of your own, you’ll first need some funding in order to pay salaries, purchase hardware and software and to travel to events. Initially you’ll need a prototype of a game to appease investors and a previous track record helps.”
Dan Da Rocha, Mudvark
Opening an office
19. “Don’t be too quick to rent space for your studio. It’s a waste of money. Don’t underestimate how expensive it is to run and maintain a studio and staff. Make sure you’ve worked with your team on several projects before forming a registered company.”
Fiona Stewart, Formerdroid
20. “Only get a physical office when you really need one. A comfortable chair and a reliable internet connection are far more important.”
Nicoll Hunt, I Fight Bears
21. “If you’re in an area marked for regional development, speak to the local councils. There are often fantastic deals available. Try to find somewhere that has space, working air conditioning and that gives you space inside and outside the office to move around.”
Robert Troughton, Epic Games UK
22. “Working remotely can be hard to manage so be sure to maintain strong processes for the team. Have a daily call and cover what each team member did yesterday, will do today and if they have any blockers. Don’t point the finger, as this will never help you to improve.”
JP Vaughan, Rocket Rainbow
Down to business
23. “Mastering the commercial side of development is critical, not just for building and maintaining a sustainable business but for attracting investors. So many developers ignore this, focus on the creative and technical side and go under within 18 months.”
Nick Gibson, Games Investor Consulting
24. “Don’t agree to deals too quickly. Thoroughly assess all options, take advice and decide
what is most important
to your business.”
Alex McLean, Engine Room Games
25. “The business side is important. Get some advice from professionals all working in the industry. They are expensive by the hour, but you’ll only need a little advice and it could save you a lot later. Most will be happy to chat free for an hour on the phone.”
Philip Oliver, Radiant Worlds
26. “Don’t forget the details: contracts, accounts, shareholder relations and other non-game-related stuff. Agree who is responsible for each one of these things, and make sure they have sufficient time and resources to do them.”
Vincent Scheurer, Payload Studios
27. “Try and keep up-to-date accounts. They will help you to make some crucial business decisions like tightening the purse strings and potentially weathering a storm. A useful and free accounting tool is Manager.io – it can also be used to produce invoices to bill any clients.”
JP Vaughan, Rocket Rainbow
28. “Most of your time will go on admin, chores, following up business leads and so on. This burden grows with your team. Don’t expect to spend all your time developing, and don’t be afraid to spread some of the boring work out to your collaborators. There are no prizes for shouldering the heaviest burden.”
Russ Clarke, Payload Studios
Legal considerations
29. “Use a lawyer for contracts. Employment and copyright laws are very complicated. Just because you commissioned and paid for a specific asset doesn’t mean that you can use it wherever you want.”
Danielle Swank, Barking Mouse studio
30. “Make a contract for a rainy day and always consider those rainy days before signing.”
Barry Hoffman, Eutechnyx
31. “Get the ownership structure right with your co-founders – it can save a lot of boardroom arguments down the line. That means: agree shareholdings fairly upfront. Get it properly documented. Use a shareholder agreement to establish how to run the company. Build a good relationship with a games industry lawyer who can help advise the studio, make introductions and show when to spend money on legal stuff but also when not to. The games industry is slowly becoming more regulated: keep an eye on data privacy, consumer law, marketing law and free-to-play regulation developments.”
Jas Purewal, Purewal & Partners
Get connected
32. “Get your company incorporated. It’s surprisingly easy, not too expensive, and pays dividends in the long run. It can protect you from personal liability, and allow you to involve founders, partners and investors in a variety of different ways. It can also have tax benefits, among a variety of other things. Pick a name for your studio or products, and check whether it is available. Think about filing some trademark protection and tying up some domains for it early to avoid other people stealing your thunder.”
Mark Fardell, Jagex
33. “Unless you’re exceptionally lucky, your studio will need the help of others to truly prosper. Opportunities, friendship and knowledge comes from committing time to building and maintaining those relationships.”
Alex McLean, Engine Room Games
34. “Use social media. Get posting and follow people and organisations who are saying something interesting. Don’t be too serious, but be professional as well. People like personality.”
Jo Twist, UKIE
35. “Get involved in your community. Studios have their own challenges, but there’s no need to figure them all out yourself. Many indie developers are more than happy to share their hard won experiences. If there are no local studios, reach out over social media and get to know people at conferences.”
Jim Fleming, Barking Mouse Studio
36. “After a meeting, connect on social media to remain memorable.”
Barry Hoffman, Eutechnyx
Recruiting a team
37. “Get to as many conferences as you can afford to – financially and time-wise. Don’t ignore the ‘little people’ – sometimes they turn big and, if you weren’t notable enough to remember, that could bite you in the future when you want their help. Help others as you would hope others help yourself (you can have that corny tag line for free).”
Robert Troughton, Epic Games UK
38. “Networking is not all boys’ clubs and backslapping. The industry is really mutually supportive, and getting to know people within it can help you punch above your weight as you’re starting out. In the throes of setting up or mid-development, spending time with people in the same boat can be the difference that keeps you sane.”
Helen Burnill, Mediatonic
39. “If you are a boss, be a good one. Encourage people, don’t beat them. You will get much more out of them.”
Fiona Stewart, Formerdroid
40. “Time logged in trenches is the biggest indicator of success for a team. Focus less on the game design and more on getting a handful of front line doers (developers, artist, etcetera) who have worked together before to invest themselves in the project.”
Simon Hade, Space Ape Games
41. “Be very careful when recruiting staff who are working at other studios. Misunderstandings and overreactions can be damaging. Remember: the people you are trying to hire have their own career plans, and may not tell you everything. Check for problematic contract clauses early on, and insist on getting stuff in writing so there are no surprises down the line.”
Russ Clarke, Payload Studios
42. “Finding a team to work for free with the promise of equity and royalties can seem daunting, but it is very possible. When I was, the first thing some artists wanted to talk about was money. The guys I chose wanted to be here no matter what, but they knew that I wasn’t able to accumulate funds to pay them out of nowhere, so from the start I made sure everyone was prepared to survive for six months off whatever we could.”
Joe Brammer, Deco Digital
43. “Find a good partner. Starting a studio is like getting married and having a baby all at once. It’s a bunch of sleepless nights and new expenses. So make sure you find someone who can share the load with you.”
Danielle Swank, Barking Mouse Studio
44. “Find people to work with that are reliable and that you like. When you find working relationships like these, work extra hard to maintain them – when people have fun making an experience it shows in the game.”
Oliver Clarke, Modern Dream
545. “Advisers, investors and top developers tell me time and again that the management team is the top priority. Build the strongest management and leadership team you possibly can.”
Richard Wilson, TIGA
46. “Take ownership of studio recruitment from day one. Don’t be led by external agents or influences who might try to exploit your business naivety. Set your own culture and quality standard and stick to it relentlessly without compromise. Your early hires will be key to your future success.”
Peter Lovell, Jagex
47. “While your team is small, you may feel you are missing certain specialty professions, but don’t hire these skills in permanently before you know you need them full time. Instead contract experts or even trade resources with other start-ups.”
Mike Burnham, Marmalade Game Studio
Spreading the word
48. “Promote early and often. Tell the world about your studio and game as soon as you can, and share any updates with how it’s going. If you wait until the game’s ready, it’ll be too late.”
Will Wright, Hidden Armada
49. “PR has become a two-step rocket: use PR to reach partners, then partners can kick-start traffic.”
Barry Hoffman, Eutechnyx
50. “Spend more time and attention on PR than games development.”
Philip Oliver, Radiant Worlds
51. “Work out your studio USPs from the get-go, establish strong, active social channels, and plan what you want to achieve. Schedule time in for promotional work – or get outside help – but don’t ignore it at your peril. Establish yourself as people with vision and experts in particular fields, then offer your opinion to the press on relevant trends. It’s a great way to establish your reputation long before you’ve any game content to show.”
Natalie Griffith, Press Space PR
52. “Journalists want to write about stories. A new game from a new developer is not a story. Talk about what makes you different.”
Nicoll Hunt, I Fight Bears
53. “Include your staff in your PR with regular social media announcements, magazine articles and so on. This can be a great morale boost. Try to consider everybody within this, not just your management and leads.”
Robert Troughton, Epic Games UK
54. “Don’t underestimate the power of online marketing. Make sure you line up some good online reviewers for your projects – they can go a long way in getting your title noticed, especially during a Kickstarter launch.”
Frank Delise, Autodesk
55. “If you want to know why average looking games do well and something you love is a ‘sleeper hit’, it may be the dev being sensible enough to stash some cash away for advertising. Be ready to gamble ￡1,000 on absolutely nothing when there’s the chance it’ll bring in ￡2,000 in sales. Alternatively, spend money on booths at things like EGX, which get you some great face-time with gamers.”
Dan Marshall, Size Five Games
Choosing the right tools
56. “Don’t re-invent the wheel. More often than not, someone has already produced the tools and tech you need for far less than it will cost you to produce it. There are powerful game engines available for very reasonable money. The same applies to applications for artists, coders and designers. Only invest in what you need.”
Oliver Clarke, Modern Dream
57. “There are loads of affordable back-end and middleware services available to support you with technology and save your precious time while starting out. Spend your time focusing on growth and making games, not chasing your tail with functionality.”
Adam Fletcher, Mediatonic
General advice
58. “Keep developing your pipeline. You’ll never find the most optimal way to work straight from starting up. Look into any software suggestions made by employees – they normally know more about their discipline than you.”
Simon Doyle, Team Junkfish
59. “Give your people the best tools, even if more expensive, as your people costs are the highest when making games.”
Barry Hoffman, Eutechnyx
60. “It is important to innovate, to stand out. The mobile and tablet arena is an incredibly crowded marketplace, so whether it is a striking art and animation style like Futurlab’s Velocity 2x or an ingenious approach to audio like Somethin’ Else’s Papa Sangre, ask yourself how you can make something genuinely different.”
Richard Wilson, TIGA
61. “There’s the ‘Right Solution’ and the ‘Best Solution For Now’. Learn when to choose between the two, and when to revise that choice. Starting simple and iterating quickly is usually a good rule for most of what you’ll do. Stay up to date with what your competition is doing, and if you don’t have any, ask why.”
Alex McLean, Engine Room Games
62. “Get a mentor. Having someone who’s been through the process of setting up a business to talk to is invaluable. They’ll be able to tell you how to fill in Needlessly Wordy Form No.114, or perhaps – more importantly – that if you don’t fill it in, you’ll lose 30 per cent of your revenues.”
Simon Doyle, Team Junkfish
63. “Games built without knowing who the audience is and what they want are doomed to fail. Imagine a single person who’d love your game – but you need to understand that person fully. The other 999,999 players can come afterwards.”
Imre Jele, Bossa Studios
64. “Work smarter, not harder. Find tools and services to make your job easier – you’re going to spend so much time organising and communicating that when it actually comes to doing work, you need to be as efficient as possible.”
Matt Zanetti, Guerilla Tea
65. “Focus on making unique features that make your games great – and use off-the-shelf solutions for everything you possibly can. Once you’ve created a feature or mechanic, iterate. The best learning technique is to do something once and straight away do it again, but better – make creativity part of your muscle memory.”
Harvey Elliott, Marmalade Technologies
66. “Be unique. Never go head to head with another game that’s already out and successful.”
Philip Oliver, Radiant Worlds
67. “It’s easy to work long hours and let your personal life fall by the wayside. Taking a break can help you refocus – burnout can be detrimental to your company’s success. Humans were not made to sit at a computer for 12+ hours a day. This sounds like a no-brainer but when you get into the start-up zone, it’s hard to think about anything else but the business.”
Dan Da Rocha, Mudvark
68. “Joining a trade body is an excellent way to get support for you, your company, save money on services, events and tools, and have personal introductions made for you. You also get a say in policy decisions that affect you.”
Jo Twist, UKIE
69. “If you hope to generate revenue, your business strategy needs to be more creative and sturdy than any of your game concepts. Do your research. Find an area where you can stand out, however niche it may be, and always focus on your core competence or IP, rather than chasing all of the other gold prospectors into obscurity!”
Nick Pendriis, Hoverfly Studio
70. “One great exercise as you’re building your next game is writing the back of the box: What would it say? Why is it unique and fun? What sets it apart? Do a mock review: What would reviewers write about your game? It may help you with your pitch, either for Kickstarter or to a publisher.”
Frank Delise, Autodesk
71. “If your first game’s launch is only a few months away, start planning game No.2. It’s easy to fall into the trap of over-focusing on finishing your game. It’s likely that after your game is released you’ll be supporting it, so get used to juggling both.”
Mitu Khandaker-Kokoris, The Tiniest Shark
72. “The best way to stand out is to create something different, wacky, and game-changing. Outflank the triple-As with oddball weirdness – at least you’ll get talked about: exposure is 90 per cent of the battle. And for goodness sake, if you’re making a clone, just stop.”
Kevin Beimers, Italic Pig(source:develop-online)