|
August 2001
Q: We've just completed
our demo for the game that we've been working on for a
while. We sent the game to the publishers we know of in
the US but we haven't heard anything back yet. With ECTS
coming soon we were thinking about making that trip. Is
it worth it?
A: First be patient with the US publishers. As a
general rule, the bigger the publisher (anywhere) the
longer the evaluation.
ECTS is going to be interesting this year. Many of the
console manufactures are having their own show outside
of the ExCeL center so there are only a few publishers
on the show floor. The good side to that is that you
will get good face time with some of the big European
publishers. Look at the ECTS list of exhibitors and
email any European publishers that you have contacts
with. When you have an idea of how many meetings you
can get at the show, weigh that against the cost of the
flights to London and the hotels there. If you feel
it's worth the money and time out of the office, go for
it. Very few US developers go to ECTS and with the GDCE
there this year as well you could pick up some great
contacts!
Q:
We're seeing an interest in our new RTS from publishers
in the US and Europe. Is there a fundamental difference
at all between them? In your experience, is a deal with
a US company better than a deal with European company or
vice versa?
A: Congratulations on the success so far with the
game. Looks like you have a winner there. The difference
in publishers doesn't really come down to where they are
located. Most of the big publishers have offices all
across the world now anyway. You will end up dealing
with the office closest to you once a deal is done in
most cases. So even if you contract with an Ubi Soft,
Infogrames, or Cryo, you'll still work closely with the
US office. The best way to pick a publisher is to find
one that shares your excitement for the game, one that
you feel you enjoy working with, and well... the one
that gives you the best deal/contract. If you find
yourself annoyed or angry at the publisher early in the
evaluation or contract negotiation stages, that's a good
warning flare for things to come. The advantage of some
of the European publishers is that many of them have
access to funding not available here in the States and
new companies will be willing to pay a premium for a
game to get a foothold in the US market and get their
name out there.
I<<<Back
to Q&A With Jay Home
|
