START YOUR OWN STUDIO // PUBLISHERS | BETA
Do you need a publisher?
With a multitude of formats and channels to help bring your title to market, James Batchelor explores whether start-ups should even consider seeking publisher support
GETTING YOURFINISHED game into the hands of consumers is considerably easier than it was ten years ago. Thanks to the advent of app stores and other
download platforms, new and small studios no longer need the support of a traditional publisher – but should they seek it anyway? “It’s a case of needs and wants,” says New Star
Games’ community manager Mark Baldwin. “I think new developers would all want to have the support of publishers and platform holders, especially when starting out, but I think we’ve seen that you don’t need it to be successful.” However, there are some in the industry that
disagree. Ripstone director Phil Gaskell says that while the games market’s barriers to entry have lowered, “the value that a good publisher adds to development is still as meaningful as it ever was”. Thumbstar’s Gareth Edmondson agrees: “You need a publisher, unless you are all of these: very talented at creating unique excellent product, well connected or active and effective at self-promotion, very lucky and have adequate funding to take the risk of failure, and have sufficient resource (both human and financial) to have complete focus on promoting. “Getting noticed in the mobile market, for example, is famously tough and it’s getting tougher. It’s pretty clear that the traditional app stores are really doing most of their business on just a few games, although there are plenty of other opportunities.” Baldwin also recognises that there are
numerous advantages to having a large publisher behind you. “Without a publisher, you have to find a
way to self-fund,” he says. “You take the whole financial burden on your shoulders and when things don’t go to plan, that can be a heavy burden to shoulder. “Keeping your game in the public eye after launch is also a difficult thing to do without the backing of a publisher.”
SEEKING SUPPORT If you decide that you do need to sign up with a publisher, how do you go about approaching them? Or should you wait for them to come to you, drawn by the self-promotion of your winning game idea? Should you pitch with a finished product or with a prototype?
DEVELOP-ONLINE.NET
“It sounds pithy but just ask,” says Gaskell.
“Talk to as many people as you can, attend networking events and try to speak with other developers as well as friendly publishers “There’s never a right or wrong time to ask,
there’s just the right and wrong people. Some publishers will want to see and play the game, but some might be happy to take a risk just on the team’s track record.” But Baldwin warns: “If you go in too early
asking for backing from a publisher you risk losing your IP while trying to negotiate a deal. You need to have more than just great ideas or a brilliant tech demo. You need a close to finished or finished product that a publisher can buy into and help with advertising and distribution. Something with less risk on all sides.”
FIRST PARTY FRIENDS While publishers are still deemed important, it is becoming increasingly beneficial to get the platform holders on board when releasing your game – even if you’re a new, independent or small studio. “If you can get the platform holder on side,
you may not need a publisher at all,” says Baldwin. “For an iPhone game, it’s probably
more important to deal directly with Apple. Getting your app featured on the App Store is potentially worth more than what you could get out of a publishing deal. “The role of platform holders is almost
merging into that of a publisher – they hold the keys to a small developer’s success. Sony in particular seems to be forging ahead in this way with their approach to indie developers.” The growing influence of platform holders is just one example of how the routes to market are changing. And the role of publishers must inevitably change with it, or else they face being left behind by the new wave of small and indie developers. “We see games publishing as a service to
developers, rather than the perhaps old fashioned view of it being the other way round,” says Edmondson. “The market needs quality, innovative and unique products, and I fully expect that to continue to come from new start-ups and indies. “The power shifted back to content creators in the market a few years ago and I expect that to continue, so publishers will need to provide services to developers beyond the traditional marketing and PR functions to remain relevant.”
NOVEMBER 2013 | 15
Top-to-bottom: Ripstone’s Phil Gaskell, Thumbstar’s Gareth Edmondson and New Star Games’ Mark Baldwin. Main: Efforts from Sony and Microsoft to embrace indie and small studios has seen their role become similar to that of a traditional publisher
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