FinGames’ Post

Now that NZGDC is done and dusted, here are some summary thoughts from the panels, office hours and coffee chats I had with teams:   💡 Goal: Are you building a studio or just a game?  There's a critical difference with implications for the team + resources you need.   📝 Plan: Make sure your game(s) are realistic for your team.  What do you want to build (passion), what can you build (capability), what can you sell (market)?  You need all three to succeed.  Young studios learn so much and get so much credibility from shipping their first game.  Beware the "build your dream magnum opus" hype; just because you are passionate about something doesn’t mean you can build and sell it!  Talk to NZGDA studio peers who have actually shipped games for real insights.   💰 Resource: Choose the type of funding and partner that best suits you based on your journey and stage.  For first time studios this should normally be: - Bootstrap. Revenue is the best funding. Gig, hustle, experiment. Build in the background, test it with friends; have you found the fun? - Grant funding. Talk to CODE NZ - New Zealand Centre of Digital Excellence (they are awesome and there to help).  It's free and even if you don't get a grant you get amazing feedback and plugged into a great community of other young studios. - Publishers. As a new studio you're going to be good at building but rubbish at selling, because you're not selling as a day job! Publishers bring production and selling expertise alongside funding, so you learn a lot from working with them if you get the chance.  That's why successful big Kiwi game studios typically partnered with publishers on their early games! - Investors. There are a few, from kickstarters to angels to funds. Understand what each wants and the value they can bring beyond $. Diligence them heavily - talk to people, research the deals they have announced, the deals they have done and also haven't done. Equity is your scarcest resource, once sold you can never get it back so do your homework.   🎮 Execute: Remember gaming = “interactive” media.  You have to sell the sizzle AND the steak to win.  You need to build a community around your game, have great engagement and feed them with updates and creative content (art, trailers, game play etc) before you launch.  But ultimately you have to deliver a fun, playable game.  Without a well executed game build, the narrow set of distribution channels either won’t be open to you (e.g. console) or you run the risk of poor audience response and refunds of any sales you do get (e.g. Steam).  Remember, successful studios are known for their games, not their trailers.   None of this is easy but we are lucky in NZ to have amazing talent, a supportive community and a global reputation for high quality game experiences thanks to some amazing trailblazers. #levelup

Introduction Magic: The Gathering Online (MTGO) offers a unique blend of strategy and competition, attracting players worldwide. However, the perception that enjoying MTGO requires significant financial investment can be daunting for many. This article explores various strategies and tips for players looking to dive into the world of MTGO without spending money.

When the world shuts you down, you create your own world. Meet Andrew Gower, the visionary who turned adversity into a billion-dollar game. You might know it as RuneScape. In his youth, Andrew was a passionate gamer. But there was a problem: his family's financial struggles. Undeterred, this young genius started learning the ropes through magazine guides. Fast forward to Cambridge, where Andrew teamed up with his brother, Paul. Their mission? Not just to play games, but to develop graphics for others. They were the ones selling shovels during a gold rush. Despite tempting job offers, Andrew declined them all, choosing to amplify his game-changing idea. The spark? "Medieval world but make it digital." And just like that, RuneScape was born. Year one, they clocked 1 MILLION free accounts, but free wasn't paying the bills. So they launched a paid version, gaining 5,000 subscribers in the first week alone. It was no longer a side hustle. Andrew co-founded Jagex Games Studio, becoming the UK's largest independent online game developers. In 2003, RuneScape hit 65k paid members. By 2007, it reached a staggering 1 million paid subscribers. In 2012, Jagex boasted over 500 employees – this was the big league. But Andrew's journey didn't stop there. In 2010, he cashed out and founded Fen Research with a new vision: creating a gaming language exclusively for game development. His goal? Solving the problems that game developers face. All of this, stemming from a simple university side hustle. Andrew Gower's story reminds us that with determination and innovation, you can create your own world, no matter how tough the odds. #SuccessStory #Innovation #GamingLegend #conquertheworld #focusonwhatmatters VC: Copyright to the respective video owner

A timely piece from our affiliate members Plus Accounting, Chartered Accountants about the Content Fund "With a commitment to transparency and strong partnerships with companies like Plus Accounting, this initiative is set to make a significant impact on the creative gaming landscape in the UK. Whether you’re a seasoned developer or an emerging talent, this funding could be the catalyst to take your game development aspirations to the next level." #gamedev #funding https://lnkd.in/ea84EnxW #indiegamedev #investment #gamedevelopment

The guest speaker for this week's Game Business x Product session on Friday is Gus Viegas, who will share some of his +10 years of expertise from within the game industry. He has worked for Rovio, Supercell and many more, during which has organized the launch of over 50 games. As a head of growth, he has overseen the marketing and ad monetization of multiple studios, from startups to corporations and multiple game genres, from strategy to casual and hypercasual. When asked about the biggest issues in the Finnish game industry, Viegas says that studios still primarily focus on the games solely as fun products and not as structured businesses. He says it doesn't take much to stop and think about the business plan before executing the game, and it's a necessary step. The second local issue spotted is around the industry copying itself. There are multiple products that are quite similar in mechanics, tone and more. Viegas says the reason is removing risks for the investor stakeholders – you need to show returns and lower burn rates. Focusing on known products creates benchmarkable numbers and gives short term security. "But in essence, we're cursed with experience and seniority. In the past decades there´s been hits after hits from Finland, and some of the ones behind them are relying on the old success formulas. And when most do the same, the ecosystem remains the same - and that's not good for Finland in the long run." When asked about younger generations, Viegas continues - "When people are starting, they want to create their dream game. But all the newer game makers need is to finish a title and publish it. Once you release a game you find how the tools, code, players, markets and funding reacts. And once you have that experience under your belt, initiatives like Business Finland and other funds open up. VCs and other investment comes later in careers, focus first on getting things out there - the money will come." And if one of us fails, everyone learns something. And everyone learning is what stimulates the economy, says Viegas.

Have you seen this chart yet? In this article, I explain what the most successful game developers have done to build sustainable game businesses, regardless of their business model or platform: (Also, a shout-out to Chris Heatherly Sonny Mayugba Mark Otero Katy Drake Bettner Paul Bettner whose efforts at their studios I recognize in the article, and Eric Seufert for a great article on growth metrics that I reference.)

Introduction Magic: The Gathering Online (MTGO) offers a unique blend of strategy and competition, attracting players worldwide. However, the perception that enjoying MTGO requires significant financial investment can be daunting for many. This article explores various strategies and tips for players looking to dive into the world of MTGO without spending money.

Looking for #funding is quite for #videogames. It's hard for any industry really. There are a couple of ways you can stand out however and I'll list some of those ways below. I learned most of this from the excellent Walid O. El Cheikh 🙏 🤔 Thought Provoking One-Liners - Having a catchy one-liner that explains your game to a potential investor is really hard to get right, but crucial. There is a way to make it easier to do however. Instead of trying to encapsulate the entire game in one short line try to make the receiver *think* about the possibilities. I was making a game once with a friend of mine where two people together controlled a car using a separate JoyCon. After a bit of back and forth we came up with "Two Players, One Car." Even if you have no idea what this game is, you now have *plenty* of ideas of what it could be. ⏳ Time is Precious - Most of the time with any type of investor, whether you meet them at your expo booth, an investor presentation or a secret meeting in a backroom, you have different tolerances for how long they will entertain your pitch. At a booth it's around 7 seconds. If you can't catch someone's attention in that amount of time, you are likely to lose them. So always be ready to pitch your game at any time to anyone. You can do this by making a one-pager about your game. Short sections on this piece of paper should include: * What are you making? - A strong One-liner can do wonders here! * Who is your team? - Experience, Positions. * Who is your target audience? - Be specific. * What is your roughly estimated timeline? - Be cautiously optimistic. * What can your investor expect? - Look at competition, know your niche. Once you have this one-pager, practice memorizing it. It's harder than it sounds. Once you've gone over it enough times, it'll be like reciting a recipe. 💬 Know your Investors - While you can't possibly know all investors, you can know some of the ones you target specifically for your game. If you are pitching to DFI you should ask other developers who applied to see how they did it. From personal experience I've only ever gotten support from others who have previously applied to DFI who showed their pitch. It's a wealth of knowledge. If you need to apply at funds or angel investors do your homework and examine previously funded projects the best you can to get any edge you can. The funding world is a brutally tough one as even the smallest of edges can make a world of difference. If you really want to learn more about pitching, please consider looking at Walid's book about pitching. It's even free: https://lnkd.in/dyNw-Gdz Through Walid's expertise I didn't just get skills in pitching I was lacking, it even got me and my friend a free ticket to the Nordic Game Conference to talk with investors in 2020. #lookingforwork #lookingforjobs #opentowork #openforwork #jobhunting #jobsearching #indiedev #indiegamedev #denmarkjobs #denmark #palworld #nintendo

Spent last weekend gambling and had an 'aha' moment . . I've been giving a lot of thought about the real money gaming space and now I want to be upfront about it. I strongly believe that the industry is far from being a win-win. In fact, it's not even a win-lose scenario! It's a lose-lose, and here's why: 1. Profit from Loss: In this industry, companies thrive when users lose. It's a simple equation – the more users lose, the more the company gains. This dynamic shapes the entire industry. 2. Endless Exploitation: Owners are perpetually brainstorming ways to extract more from users, often at the expense of their time and resources. It's a never-ending quest to maximize profits. 3. Negative Ecosystem: The atmosphere within this industry can be overwhelmingly negative. The constant pressure to win, coupled with the knowledge that the odds are stacked against you, can take a toll on mental well-being. 4. Lack of Value: Ultimately, the real money gaming space rarely contributes positively to society. It's a business that doesn't fulfill a genuine need or add value to people's lives. Given these factors, I find it hard to understand why anyone would want to build a business in this space. And I speak from experience, mind you. Not too long ago, I made an attempt to build a real money gaming app called fangame.live In a span of 1.5yrs, I realised that I just wasn't cut out for this industry because it wasn't adding value to anyone else's life. There are countless other industries where innovation and value creation can lead to more fulfilling and meaningful endeavors. It's up to us to focus on businesses that not only thrive but also make the world a better place. I'm open to discussion on this topic, so feel free to share your thoughts. Let's chat in the comments👇🏼 #RealMoneyGaming #EthicalBusiness #ValueCreation #PositiveImpact #OpenDiscussion

Navigating Financial Challenges as a Solo Indie Game Developer 🌊💼 Being a solo indie game developer is a journey filled with financial hurdles. At the very beginning, when no game is yet on the market, there's no revenue to expect. It's a time where the initial investment in game production can be a considerable financial burden. Once the game is launched, the uncertainty of sales adds another layer of complexity. It's challenging to predict how many copies will be sold, making long-term financial planning difficult. This uncertainty can make the sustainability of the business uncertain and add additional pressure on the developer's personal finances. Despite these challenges, the passion and determination of indie developers drive them to persevere. With careful financial management, effective marketing strategy, and a bit of luck, many manage to overcome these obstacles and fulfill their dream of creating video games. If you're an indie developer, what strategies do you use to overcome financial challenges? Share your tips and experiences in the comments! 💡🎮 #IndieDev #GameDev #Finances #Entrepreneurship