BETA | START YOUR OWN STUDIO // TIPS FOR BEGINNERS


Have you forgotten anything?


Rounding off our start-up special, studios new and old offer their advice to future developers about those tricky first steps and other vital things to remember


LEARN about accounts, tax and


business – or pay someone else who already knows. Use great, bulletproof contracts or don’t use anything at all; anything in between causes headaches. Stick to your guns, but don’t be an arsehole: you are what will make your company unique, and therefore make both it and your products valuable. Oh, and expect grey hairs.


Managing Director, Spilt Milk Studios Andrew Smith


WHEN you’re new, expect to get


rejected a lot by press and publishers because, let’s face it, it’s tough being the new kid around. When you send out press kits and show your game to publishers, expect to be ignored or told “we feel it’s not quite a right fit now”. But do you give up after your first try? Hell no! You work some more on the game, try again and tell them what’s new.


Creative Director, Eyesodic Games Dan Kenny


NEVER overinflate your self-perception.


Be humble, understand your weaknesses and be constructively critical. Review your project often. Listen to all members of the team. Always get a second opinion from an industry source or your consumers. Partner where possible – think about who could help bring your game to market. Don’t be afraid to take your time because when your game is ready, it’ll speak for itself.


Jay M Bedeau CEO, Rie Studios


BE fussy in choosing your team. A strong,


capable team will make the whole thing much easier, but if they are weak you will always be papering over the cracks. Try to find people brighter and better than you are, and keep them happy. You may not be able to pay them a fortune but be prepared to listen and you will have a motivated team. Believe it or not, most people value ‘please’, ‘thank you’ and ‘well done’ more than a free coke machine.


CEO, Waterfront Entertainment Stephen Swan


ONCE your business is ready, we would


recommend that focus should be placed on securing and funding your first office space. Remote working wasn’t ideal for us but as soon as we moved into our office, things started to move a lot quicker. And make sure that all of the team are behind the ‘idea’. Your initial core team needs to be prepared to work long hours, undertake several projects and do what it takes to make the company a success.


Commercial Director, Beartrap Games


UNDERSTAND why others failed. People


have probably tried your idea before. Was it the wrong platform? Poorly executed? Is this truly an idea whose time has come or are you destined to repeat the mistakes of others? Watch your back, too. If it is a good idea, others are probably working on it. It’s tough to take customer discovery seriously, raise money, recruit staff and maintain secrecy at the same time.


COO & Co-Founder, Space Ape Games 22 | NOVEMBER 2013 Simon Hade


ASSIGN clear responsibilities.


Roles in a start-up studio are usually quite blurred. Everyone tends to chip in where they need, but responsibilities must be clear – otherwise you end up with decision by committee, which rarely achieves anything. Take as much as advice as you can, from as many different people as you can. Consider it, and then make your own decision. Don’t follow other people’s advice blindly.


CEO, Remode Studios Ella Romanos


LOOK at the trends, but try to think


differently. Early in 2010, we were told consoles and handhelds were dying, but I think it was an error to follow this advice. We did some contract stuff on smartphones, but that’s not what we wanted to do. Now, we are porting one of our games to Vita – it’s the best platform for it. And Vita is great for a small company: costs are lower, so you need less sales to make a profit.


CEO, Ninja Fever Eloy Ribera DEVELOP-ONLINE.NET Grant Alexander


DON’T underestimate how much work


goes on with the business side of things. I probably spend 50 per cent of my ‘Zero Dependency time’ catching up on emails, dealing with expenses, and other activities not directly related to game development. Also, if you’re an indie coding at home, think about your ‘office space’. I couldn’t sit on the sofa and write low- level graphics code, so I have my desk and PC at home set up to reduce distractions.


Lead Programmer, Zero Dependency Andy Esser


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68