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March/April
2001
In
this issue
Jay
answers questions on hot platforms
with publishers and successful pitching.
 Q:
Hi, I work for a small development company and we
are in the finishing stages of a contract deal we are
working on. It's time for us to start thinking about
what's next and I wondered if you knew which platforms
are hot right now with publishers?
A:
Good question. The publishing community is in
a state of flux right now with the lack of PS 2's on the
market. Many publishers have invested far more money in
the development of these games than they can hope to
re-coup in the near future. With this in mind, many
publishers have put "holds" on new
acquisitions or they are looking for deals involving
much less risk than long term development contracts.
Aim for an Xbox deal and submit your game to Microsoft
for their incubator program (www.xbox.com/dev).
Approaching a publisher with a title developed to Xbox
specs will make your title much more appealing. These
programs do not ensure the Microsoft stamp of approval
for your title, but they are a great step to publisher
deal.
If you wish to do a Playstation 2 game, submit a
playable demo on the dev kit to the publisher. A large
part of the problems that have been encountered this far
with PS 2 development is that it is much harder than
many developers (or publishers) imagined. By sending a
demo that a publisher can run on their dev kits you can
prove that you have the knowledge and talent to pull
this game off.
Game Boy Advance is a good idea for short term projects.
These titles cost much less to produce and they can be
done with a relatively small team. I expect to see the
same trends in sales with the Advance as we did with the
GBC. Essentially, make sure you have a solid license
with the game. Contacting a publisher and picking up a
contract job could be your best bet. I have seen several
great original games for the Advance, but make sure you
clearly state why your game is head and shoulders above
the rest.
PC games are a little more complicated right now. The
big selling PC games are aimed for the casual market.
Titles with a long shelf life are very appealing to
publishers and these titles are generally much cheaper
to produce. With products such as shooters, RPG's, and
RTS's technology is the key. You should be certain to
show the publishers the power of your engine, why it is
better than others out there, and how this technology
will be incorporated into the design of the game to make
it great.
Jay
Q:
My team and I have just finished the pitch for
our new game. We had a bad experience with our last
pitch and want to make sure all our bases are covered on
this one. What do we need to send to a publisher to make
sure we don't hear "Looks great, call me when you
have more"?
A:
The more information you can provide a
publisher with, the better off you will be in the long
run. What you need will depend on the state of your
project.
If you have a very early game that you are seeking
development funding on you will need to show the
publisher as much of the gameplay as possible, but the
user interface and a technology demo are essential. You
should also provide a design treatment that will show
your budget, timeline, and the unique selling points of
your game. Finally, let the publisher know who your team
is. What have you done in the past as a team or
individually? If a publisher feels confident that
you can deliver a quality game on time and on budget you
will have a much better shot at a deal.
If your title is at beta, you are presenting a publisher
with much less risk. You should show them the game in
its present state, an idea of the budget you are looking
for, and a synopsis of the unique selling points. If
possible, compare and contrast your title with any of
the big sellers on the market right now. Let them know
that your game will be a good buy for them and everyone
can profit from it.
With both of these scenarios, you should provide the
publisher with a walkthrough of the demo you are
sending. Always assume that the person reviewing the
title has no idea how to play the type of game you are
submitting. This will make sure that no one misses
anything that is shown in your demo. It can also help
you make a better presentation because the tester will
not enter the areas that are not finished yet, or try
commands that have not been implemented. I always
recommend that developers sit down, define their selling
points, and structure their demos and walkthroughs to
show these off.
Hope this helps.
Jay
You
can learn more about Jay and Octagon Entertainment at their website www.octagon1.com
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