Going Alone: to Self-Publish or to Partner? | Publishing Advice for Independent Developers
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This document provides advice for independent game developers on whether to self-publish or partner with a publisher. It discusses how the industry has changed with digital distribution, lowering development and marketing costs. However, going alone is still challenging due to rising production values, user acquisition costs, and difficulty standing out. Developers have more options like bootstrapping, crowdfunding, incubators/accelerators, publishers/partners, and should consider factors like funding needs, creative control, and fit when choosing a partner. Partners can provide full support services without losing ownership.
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Going Alone: to Self-Publish or to Partner? | Publishing Advice for Independent Developers
- 1. Til$ng Point Confiden$al PUBLISHING ADVICE FOR INDEPENDENT DEVELOPERS GOING ALONE: TO SELF-PUBLISH OR TO PARTNER? APRIL 2015
- 2. Til$ng Point Confiden$al SAM DALSIMER Previously seen at TriplePoint PR launching games like Candy Crush Saga, Temple Run 2, Kingdom Rush and dozens more. In Quebec, worked on PR for local studios like Frima, Behaviour (re-branded from A2M), Minority, Spearhead. Twittering away @samdalsimer SENIOR PR MANAGER, TILTING POINTWHO AM I?
- 3. Til$ng Point Confiden$al New generation mobile partner for top independent game developers WHO ARE WE? Focus on mobile and tablet platforms Publishing as a service: • Funding • Product management • Design assistance & UX optimization • Market research & insights • Close relationships with key platforms • App Store optimization & discoverability • Brand marketing & PR • User acquisition & advertising • Scale • Community and customer service • Production support 3 Sounds interesting? hello@tiltingpoint.com
- 4. Til$ng Point Confiden$al An innovative platformer from 1337+Senri with cutting-edge graphics, starring a lovable, unique main character 4 Tim Cook’s Keynote at WWDC 2014 Unveiling of Android TV at Google I/O On stage at the ADA Ceremony
- 5. Til$ng Point Confiden$al LET’S GET STARTED ENOUGH ABOUT US
- 6. Til$ng Point Confiden$al IN THE OLD DAYS… Publishers were needed because of: Very high cost of development Retail distribution very important, and very expensive Large marketing budgets required Console platforms mostly closed to smaller companies 6
- 7. Til$ng Point Confiden$al AS A RESULT Publishers held sway, and terms weren’t favorable to developers 7
- 8. Til$ng Point Confiden$al 8 LIMITED CREATIVE CONTROL No or limited IP ownership
- 9. Til$ng Point Confiden$al HIGH COST STRUCTURES AND LOW ROYALTIES Resulting in low chance of receiving any over lifetime of product 9
- 10. Til$ng Point Confiden$al FREQUENT CRUNCHES And “death marches” 10
- 11. Til$ng Point Confiden$al WHAT HAS CHANGED? (WHAT WAS THE TILTING POINT !?) 11
- 12. Til$ng Point Confiden$al No physical distribution infrastructure needed Platform barrier of entry effectively eliminated Performance-driven marketing lowering overall costs Indie developers can reach mass audiences directly WHAT CHANGED? DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION PLATFORMS HAVE REVOLUTIONIZED THE MARKET 12
- 13. Til$ng Point Confiden$al Cheaper and more accessible engines Smaller teams Shorter development cycles Unlimited upside WHAT CHANGED? MAKING GAMES FOR DIGITAL PLATFORM CAN BE MUCH MORE AFFORDABLE 13
- 14. Til$ng Point Confiden$al WHAT CHANGED? AUDIENCE HAS BECOME SIGNIFICANTLY LARGER AND BROADER 100MFROM “GAMERS” 2BTO “PEOPLE THAT PLAY GAMES” 14
- 15. Til$ng Point Confiden$al The work doesn’t end with a big launch In fact, that’s just the beginning WHAT CHANGED? GAMES ARE NOW SERVICES 15
- 16. Til$ng Point Confiden$al GOING ALONE IS STILL DAUNTING 16
- 17. Til$ng Point Confiden$al PRODUCTION VALUES AND COSTS ARE RISING 17 Growth in development budgets for competitive free-to-play games 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 $100K $200K $300K $700K $900K $1,100K $1,200K Tilting Point Confidential
- 18. Til$ng Point Confiden$al USER ACQUISITION COSTS ARE RISING 18 $0.00 $0.50 $1.00 $1.50 $2.00 $2.50 $3.00 $3.50 $4.00 Jan-12 Feb-12 Mar-12 Apr-12 May-12 Jun-12 Jul-12 Aug-12 Sep-12 Oct-12 Nov-12 Dec-12 Jan-13 Feb-13 Mar-13 Apr-13 May-13 Jun-13 Jul-13 Aug-13 Sep-13 Oct-13 Nov-13 Dec-13 Jan-14 Feb-14 Mar-14 Apr-14 May-14 Jun-14 Jul-14 Average cost per install. Source: iOS Android Facebook
- 19. Til$ng Point Confiden$al IT IS INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT TO GET NOTICED AND STAND OUT Number of game submissions by month on the iOS App Store 0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 8000 2008-06 2008-08 2008-10 2008-12 2009-02 2009-04 2009-06 2009-08 2009-10 2009-12 2010-02 2010-04 2010-06 2010-08 2010-10 2010-12 2011-02 2011-04 2011-06 2011-08 2011-10 2011-12 2012-02 2012-04 2012-06 2012-08 2012-10 2012-12 2013-02 2013-04 2013-06 2013-08 2013-10 2013-12 2014-02 1.2 MILLION GAMES IN THE iOS APP STORE Source: Tilting Point / 148Apps 19
- 20. Til$ng Point Confiden$al MAKING GAMES IS NOT JUST ABOUT MAKING GAMES GOING ALONE IS DAUNTING Domain knowledge is required in: CONSUMER INSIGHTS | MARKETING | USER ACQUISITION ANALYTICS | MONETIZATION | QA | ETC. 20
- 21. Til$ng Point Confiden$al WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A PUBLISHING DEAL? 21 Now that the playing field is tilted in the developer’s favor, what should you be asking for?
- 22. Til$ng Point Confiden$al WHAT TO ASK FOR Depending on factors such as level of completion of the game and investment from the partner: Creative control Control of the IP Product management and production support Platform relationship management Marketing and user acquisition budget & execution Ongoing live operations funding 22
- 23. Til$ng Point Confiden$al WHAT ARE YOUR OPTIONS? BOOTSTRAPPING VCs AND ANGELS CROWDFUNDING PLATFORMS INCUBATORS & ACCELERATORS PARTNERS (EVOLVED FROM PUBLISHERS) 23
- 24. Til$ng Point Confiden$al PROS No external pressure Complete creative control No dilution Availability of affordable tech CONS Limits scope of project Lack of access to external know-how Hard to be noticed with low / no marketing budget MOST SUITABLE FOR Wealthy people or very frugal people Small teams with a distinctive game that can be developed on a low budget and find its own audience BOOTSTRAPPING 24
- 25. Til$ng Point Confiden$al PROS No dilution Creative control (but careful about upsetting your backers!) Crowdfunding campaigns are also marketing opportunities Niche projects can get funded CONS Difficult to be noticed: most crowd funding campaigns don’t gain traction Obligation to deliver on backers’ rewards No support from “investors” beyond funding (and often a lot of nagging) MOST SUITABLE FOR Anyone that has made a cult game in the ’80s or ’90s Experienced teams that know how to budget for and how to deliver a game Niche games that can find a very enthusiastic audience CROWDFUNDING 25
- 26. Til$ng Point Confiden$al PROS Office space Some funding Mentorship Introductions to investors, platforms and publishers CONS Equity dilution Limited timeframe: teams have to find their way after a certain amount of time Not all programs are equally useful & reputable MOST SUITABLE FOR Teams with little experience in the industry needing a lot of guidance and support Studios in jurisdictions that offer government incentives INCUBATORS & ACCELERATORS 26
- 27. Til$ng Point Confiden$al PROS Access to sizeable funds Access to other investors, talent and resources CONS Strong dilution Loss of control Most VCs don’t have domain expertise and don’t understand games MOST SUITABLE FOR Very experienced teams with an understanding of the business side of games Companies with significant traction that want to get to the next level VCs & ANGELS 27
- 28. Til$ng Point Confiden$al PROS Strong production and marketing support through the whole development cycle Guaranteed promotion on the platform without cost to the developer CONS Limitations on where the game can be published, (either temporarily or permanently) Giving up control of IP is often a requirement, although this is changing Strong involvement of the platform partner in creative decisions & production cycle Exposure in change of strategy or staffing in the platform partner MOST SUITABLE FOR AAA games Uber-cool indie games that make the platforms look good at E3 while they peddle their shooters Teams that have the experience, processes and patience needed to deal with a closely involved partner PLATFORMS 28
- 29. Til$ng Point Confiden$al PROS Full-service support (development, marketing, operations, business) Funding without losing ownership and creative control Allows developers to focus on making great games while their partner handles everything else CONS Attractive deal terms only accessible to experienced teams with very high-quality games Size & Relevance of Network MOST SUITABLE FOR Successful teams looking to tackle more ambitious projects Commercially-minded teams looking to build franchises and brands PARTNERS EVOLVED FROM PUBLISHERS 29
- 30. Til$ng Point Confiden$al Best partner depends on genre, platform, scope, team and goals ONE SIZE FITS ALL DOESN’T APPLY 30
- 31. Til$ng Point Confiden$al In today’s market, developers have more options and more negotiating power POWER SHIFT 31
- 32. Til$ng Point Confiden$al Creative control and not relinquishing IP ownership are key to building a long-term business CREATIVE CONTROL 32
- 33. Til$ng Point Confiden$al You will be working with your partner at least through the game’s lifecycle - better enjoy their company A GOOD FIT IS EVERYTHING 33
- 34. Til$ng Point Confiden$al Managing all aspects of a business is harder Most developers need partners MAKING A GAME IS HARD 34
- 35. Til$ng Point Confiden$al Put your best foot forward and showcase your work: Gameplay video, playable build, build notes, game document, metrics, etc. KNOW YOUR GAME 35
- 36. Til$ng Point Confiden$al Where does your game fit in the market? Where does it fit in a publisher’s portfolio? How far from release? KNOW WHERE YOU FIT 36
- 37. Til$ng Point Confiden$al What are you looking for in terms of services and deal terms? KNOW YOUR NEEDS 37
- 38. Til$ng Point Confiden$al Negotiation: ask for what you want, but be prepared to take what you can get GET READY TO TALK $$$ 38
- 39. Til$ng Point Confiden$al Important to introduce yourself: experience, pedigree, staff Two-way street: you both need something from each other, and both need to prove the value they offer BUILD A RELATIONSHIP 39
- 40. Til$ng Point Confiden$al QUESTIONS? www.tiltingpoint.com hello@tiltingpoint.com twitter - @tiltingpoint sdalsimer@tiltingpoint.com twitter - @samdalsimer SAM DALSIMER Slide 1 - GasX, Slide 5 - Platinum, Slide 6 - KFC, Slide 7 - 6BEstudio for Top Destinos, Slide 8 - Dulux, Slide 9 - Platinum, Slide 10 - Huzheng, Slide 11 - Canal +, Slide 12 - Curli, Slide 13 - LSD, Slide 14 - Hino, Slide 15 - Vichy Catalan, Slide 16 - Gregor Collienne, Slide 21 - Platinum, Slide 22 - Naolito, Slide 23 - Ramy on Deviant Art, Slide 30 - Carioca Studios for TNT, Slide 31 - Philips, Slide 32 - Mopic for Shutterstock, Slide 33 - Kevin Richardson, Slide 34 - Koen Demunyck, Slide 35 - Harvey Nichols, Slide 36 - Softbox, Slide 37 - Exsens, Slide 38 - Cafe Opera, Slide 39 - Forteo. Sources unknown for all uncredited images.