|
October/November 2002
Just
who the heck is Jay you say?
 Q:
Hi, I am project "leader" of a start-up team. I thought
I'd drop you a line in the hope you'd be able to answer
a question, and generally shed some light on what I feel
is a largely ignored issue.
Our team consists of 9 members. Two guys are in
Australia, one's in Canada, one's in America and the
others, myself included, are scattered around Europe
(including Russia). We communicate via the internet
(IRC, E-mail etc). Everyone in the team is willing to
relocate. Will the fact that we're scattered all over
the world have a bearing on a given publishers
willingness to fund us? Additionally Which nationality
of publisher would it be best to go to?
(English/American/Whatever)
I'd like to thank you in advance for any light that you
can shed on this matter.
Tom
A: Tom, Publishers
are warming up to the idea of virtual teams, but they
have not fully embraced it yet. The publisher will most
likely want assurance that the entire team will relocate
once a deal is signed. I know many teams who worked just
as yours does until they secured a publisher, then they
moved to a central location. There are pros and cons to
being located in any country. Many publishers want a
team that is easily managed so I would look to North
America or the United Kingdom. The United States is
always a safe bet and Canada has excellent tax benefits
to companies that qualify. The main thing to remember
is you want to locate your company in an area with a low
cost of living. This will lower your overhead
dramatically and make the overall project more appealing
to publishers.
Jay
Q:
I've been designing a modern military RTS game for
the past 2 years. I'm ready to pitch the game to
companies to have them complete the programming and
production. I've read mixed reviews on the need of
having a patent on the design before I do so. Can you
give me some advice on this topic?
Chad
A: Chad, This is a
very difficult area to approach. I have personally
never seen a design by an individual be patented,
generally a strong NDA will serve your purpose. The most
difficult part of this will be finding a team to accept
an outside design. You will have more success working
with investors and contracting a team to build your
title for you. Many developers do not have the revenue
to purchase the rights to designs and they are generally
more comfortable working on = their own projects. If you
can bring the investment money to the table, this
situation will change dramatically though.
Good luck to you!
Jay
Editor's Note:
Also check out this
article by attorney Tom Buscaglia on the
subject.
Need more Jay?
<<<Back
to Q&A With Jay home
Who
is Jay?
Jay Powell is an
agent at Octagon
Entertainment, a full service agency catering to the
needs of game developers, specializing in the creation
of domestic and international opportunities for game
financing and publishing and finding opportunities in
other medias. Jay has arranged and negotiated numerous
deals in Europe and North America for Octagon's clients.
He has also proven a key evaluator of projects, having
secured some of Octagon's most successful games. With
gaming experience in excess of fifteen years, Jay's
industry insight has been immensely beneficial to
Octagon's clients and publishing partners. Jay's
experience has allowed Octagon to create and maintain a
property evaluation and acceptance methodology that
exceeds the standards and expectations of the
interactive industry. Now, Jay brings his knowledge and
experience to you.
|
