Pitching/Who do I contact?

[Osvir]

I have a project that I've been working on for 10+ years, which is a bit of my dream game.

And I've wanted to take a different route with it but, it never dawned on me that... who would I contact in the industry? Who would I pitch this project too? Who's attention should I be trying to gain?

I know about Game Design Document (which is a wee bit too advanced for someone of my level), High Concepts (got a simple one) and I also got a prototype storyboard.

However, I was thinking as I was working on it the other day that... what is the end of the tunnel? The goal is to present it to someone in the industry that could take it further... but who? This is why I made this thread.

I've also thought about taking it to Kickstarter, but I'd need a team of modelers, animators, programmers and so on.

Also, would I need to license my product before pitching it?

Thanks for your time

Edited January 9, 2015 by Osvir

[Nonek]

Not to pooh pooh your ideas or discourage you in any fashion Osvir, but are you in the industry? I personally would not back a project from somebody with no industry experience who has produced no content before, I would look for a track record of excellence and an experienced hand at the helm. Ideas and concepts are ten a penny in a creative medium, filled with creative people, so to bring your dream to fruition i would adopt a long term plan: First gaining employment in the industry, then rising through the ranks of your company and perhaps one day having the experience to launch your idea as a Project Lead or put it to the test in a crowdfunding model.

 

Before all that though i'd become familiar with a popular engine, make mods or adventures to sate your creative urges, and present these to a prospective employer when you pursue a position in the industry. Much like with literature, one suspects that developers are most impressed by content and what you have brought into being rather than concepts and visions.

[Gorth]

The modding scene and QA seems to be two ways that people sometimes get a foot in the door so to speak. Usually after having put in the long hours, lots of patience, lots of skill and lots of perseverance has been shown

[Osvir]

Ah, yes, that I know but I was wondering if there is, like with movies/theatres, someone you can pitch an idea too, like... publisher or investor. I.e. "Presenting a manuscript".

[Orogun01]

Ah, yes, that I know but I was wondering if there is, like with movies/theatres, someone you can pitch an idea too, like... publisher or investor. I.e. "Presenting a manuscript".

Everyone in the game industry has a game idea, unless yours its exceptionally good I doubt anyone would develop over theirs. Best that you can do is develop a practical skill like writing or some game theory, and some good connections that you can use to recruit your own team. You should go to Polycount.com on their forums you can create a posting for a non-paid project to develop a prototype to create a Kickstarter. The better the documentation and proof of some connections the better chances you have of attracting good talent as people just aren't going to be interested on a non paid project that isn't likely to see completion.

 

If you do your posting on Polycount PM, I might be interested.

[Bryy]

Ah, yes, that I know but I was wondering if there is, like with movies/theatres, someone you can pitch an idea too, like... publisher or investor. I.e. "Presenting a manuscript".

Unless you're already established, it's going to be extremely hard to just break into any industry with a pitch. There's nobody you "just go to". Thousands of screenplays are thrown out per year. Just plain thrown in the dumpster. 

 

Doing it yourself is an incredibly daunting proposition. But it works if you go into it with a clear head and a definite idea of what you need. Not want. Need. What is your budget? Who do you need to work with? Can you trust them? 

 

The main thing about developing a product is that you have to treat it more mechanically than you would want. You can't go into it thinking "but this is what it will be". The thing will change, it will evolve, there will be additions, but far more subtractions. 

 

What about a GDD is hard for you?

[Roby Atadero]

Typically, if you are pitching a game project, you are doing it because you are going to pay a studio to create it for you, or you are requesting funding to have your own studio create the game. Whoever funds the game owns it.

 

If you do not fall into either of those two categories, then the answer to your question is nobody. As others have said, there are millions of ideas out there. They just need a market and money to get realized.

 

But, you can always make your idea come to life in your own spare time. Proving you can develop a game is always a way to get into the industry.

[Osvir]

Funny thing, I haven't been very active on the forums too much (lurking PoE Category though), but this thread has developed a bit like how what I am doing is developing (I'm working on my first title, a simpler product, my dream project will have to stay on the shelf for later).

 

I'm pretty much finished with most of the design and am going to start with broad strike implementation in a "little bit" (ETA... 2-3 months?).

I'm taking the first steps next week towards starting a business, and I've found an engine I'm enjoying as well (with license). Excited! :D

[Adam Brennecke]

Pitching new game IP to anyone is near impossible now. Case in point: Obsidian. If you have an idea, you can try to Kickstart it or make it small enough that you can fund it yourself. If you are lucky and find someone to make or fund it they will own the IP. Pretty sweet eh? 

[Nonek]

Pitching new game IP to anyone is near impossible now. Case in point: Obsidian. If you have an idea, you can try to Kickstart it or make it small enough that you can fund it yourself. If you are lucky and find someone to make or fund it they will own the IP. Pretty sweet eh? 

 

I've got to admit that i've always wondered why this is so? In other creative or artistic mediums the artists or creators usually retain at least shared rights to their own content, and yet i'm led to believe that one may well not recieve a penny in royalties unless the title is phenomenally successful. To draw a parallel it seems like a singing/songwriting sensation or an author having no creative rights over their product, with only the music producer/publisher reaping a profit and owning it, which seems strange.

 

Of course one has to give the producer or publisher respect and a share of the profit for the risk of funding such a venture, but the current model seems a little broken and one sided. I wonder why it has come to be, and why it is hardly spoken of, a pity that we do not have game journalists who are fit for the purpose of investigating this model.

 

One can see why the indie and Kickstarter scene is thriving under these conditions.

 

Edit: Best of luck Osvir.

Edited February 9, 2015 by Nonek

[Osvir]

I feel even more energized seeing these comments <3

 

Pitching new game IP to anyone is near impossible now. Case in point: Obsidian. If you have an idea, you can try to Kickstart it or make it small enough that you can fund it yourself. If you are lucky and find someone to make or fund it they will own the IP. Pretty sweet eh? 

 

I've also considered trying to find a partner, someone to bounce ideas with and develop with. But where, and who?

I also started filling out an "ask for funding" from one of the big industry companies, but stopped when they asked for my company information (stuff I don't have).

Kickstarter has been a thought as well, but last time I checked they didn't have a service for Swedes.

[Orogun01]

 

Pitching new game IP to anyone is near impossible now. Case in point: Obsidian. If you have an idea, you can try to Kickstart it or make it small enough that you can fund it yourself. If you are lucky and find someone to make or fund it they will own the IP. Pretty sweet eh? 

 

I've got to admit that i've always wondered why this is so? In other creative or artistic mediums the artists or creators usually retain at least shared rights to their own content, and yet i'm led to believe that one may well not recieve a penny in royalties unless the title is phenomenally successful. To draw a parallel it seems like a singing/songwriting sensation or an author having no creative rights over their product, with only the music producer/publisher reaping a profit and owning it, which seems strange.

 

Of course one has to give the producer or publisher respect and a share of the profit for the risk of funding such a venture, but the current model seems a little broken and one sided. I wonder why it has come to be, and why it is hardly spoken of, a pity that we do not have game journalists who are fit for the purpose of investigating this model.

 

One can see why the indie and Kickstarter scene is thriving under these conditions.

 

Edit: Best of luck Osvir.

 

Film and music have star power and companies know the importance of a good reputation as they can always go elsewhere, so if they start ripping off small time artists the big ones might not want to work with them. But the dynamic of power is always in favor of the guy with the money.

[Osvir]

@Orogun01: Movie manuscripts, if they are good enough (time planning, budget, well researched intelligence, and a good movie script with storyboard, story/writing, artistry as well as pitching) they can still be presented to big companies I'm sure. But, a famous and popular Director or Writer will always get the easy way in. If you're big enough to be written about in the newspapers, then you become easy money in the media world. In marketing.

But... back to some project thoughts.

"How much do we need to invest and should we invest?" is all they want to know, and if it is a smaller, simpler, product, like I'm doing, a push with a slight funding (booster pack), I could potentially hire a person to help with designing (backgrounds, character art, objects), a sound designer, or even a project manager. All of the actual technological bits of creating the game is really easy in the engine I'm using.

It'd also give a massive morale boost, no doubt, and a much more important product (because with funding from others comes a greater sense of responsibility).

In this day and age, I don't think I'd need much funding, and with the engine I'm using, not very much at all. But... project management is hard to get into. Is it possible to hire a project manager? In Sweden we can get government funding if our business start up idea is good enough. About $30~ish a working day (monday-friday), $150 a week, $600 a month for 6 months (and if the boat isn't floating by itself by then, it'll sink). But they don't necessarily help you, it's more or less... "Pitch it well and we give you money" and not so much "Pitch it well and we'll help you set it up".

Anyways, a total of... $3200. I think there's something more we can get as well but I don't remember exactly how much, but maybe another $1000 or $2000 ($4200-$5200, spent towards the company/business of course). You've got to conside additional funding from company sales/revenue in the meantime as well. Regardless, $5000 is well above what I'd need to develop this product of mine, and it'd generate way more revenue than that after sales. Now we're talking petty sums that matters nothing, but then we're not talking about the context of the product, which could very well generate $100'000+

I won't be hopping on this train until I have more product and less concept design. I can move the character in the world I've made, but I won't be finished within 6 months. I want to be able to release the product in about the same time that I create the company, as that will generate most revenue to be capable of getting a lot of funding to release a second product down the line, and then a third, and then a fourth, and then a fifth, etc.

Actually, I need to release the product nearly at the same time as I start the business to keep the business floating. When I have an "Early Access" equivalent product (not saying I would attempt Steam Early Access, merely a comparison), that is mostly feature complete, that would be the best time to start the company, and then release the product 3-4 months down the line.

@Bryy: I need a sound designer and a project manager to be able to finish this title within 4-6 months. A sound designer because this was an aspect I didn't consider previously, a sound designer would quicken the job, and a proffessional or a learned project manager out of convenience and time management.

Essentially, if non-industry hobbyist people were to be interested, I need two types of game or gamer enthusiasts:
- A hobbyist electronical musician (with interest in experimenting with techno, MIDI, 8-bit, 16-bit soundscapes)
- A natural problem solver, mathematically intruiged and disciplined and likes general management (be it massive 4X games or detailed spreadsheets of information)

 

Currently I'm "struggling" a bit with these three four problem questions (in no order):

1) "How do I best spend my time on X title, efficiently, to deliver within 6-8 months?"(semi-answer: get a manager and sound)
2) "How do I get X title distributed?"

3) "How do I create the sound effects and ambience?"

4) "Who do I bounce and discuss design decisions with? 'Is it better/easier to do like this or that?', 'Does this solution create more problems than it solves?'"
 

It would be best if I had someone I could show my product too and tell him, her, or them, what it's all about, the plan, the revenue plan (minimum costs, high rewards), the artistic style, the personal- & culture history, the simplicity etc. and he, she, or them, would help me get a grasp of how I should manage the project time and set up deadlines and how much time I should spend on writing, on animation, on drawing even on sound. To get my own car running and learn to manage future projects, and even be able to take the helm after a bit.

 

I suppose the last paragraph is more of a want than a need though

Edited February 12, 2015 by Osvir

[Osvir]

So... something disasterous happened about two weeks ago and I lost all of my work and have avoided working on it since. Won't see a broad strike implementation anytime soon.

Part of the road maybe, but, I'm starting anew, perhaps it'll even get a better foundation or something.

I'm bumping this topic because I want to see if anyone is interested to work together at a discussion phase, bounce ideas back and forth, pre-production, maybe I can work on something, talk about what I want to do and maybe whoever is interested can talk about what they are interested in and then we create something amazing together?

Feedback is golden, and having someone to actually discuss iterations with is also amazing and I work 200% faster and better having someone to talk with. Now that I lost all of my work, I need to catch up.

So, if anyone is interested, send me a PM. Pre-production. Pixel art. 2D Side-Scroller/Platformer.

[Osvir]

https://www.dropbox.com/s/u4vutsghpz8m9fa/Showcase001Benji.gif?dl=0

Remade one of the animations a bit quickly (Upscaled)

[mrmonocle]

 

1) "How do I best spend my time on X title, efficiently, to deliver within 6-8 months?"(semi-answer: get a manager and sound)

 

multiply it by 3-4.

[Osvir]

Yes, already figured that out. Specially since I lost everything I had already made T-T

What I need mostly, I feel, is someone to talk with about the project. May be just simple back and forth discussion of ideas, but someone to talk with and someone that review my stuff and someone I can feel comfortable talking with about the extensiveness of the idea, the art, the system and so on. It gives "tangible" responsibilities, makes me more disciplined, and gives me more of a "sense of purpose".

Doesn't need to do any work, just someone to talk with. At leisure, no-attachments required, "Creative Feedback" position & 'partner'   will get credit, of course.

Edited April 10, 2015 by Osvir

[Irregular programming]

Kickstarter does serve Sweden now if you are serious about it.

[Osvir]

Eeeh eeeh... really? Maybe later.. working on other projects

[BAdler]

So... something disasterous happened about two weeks ago and I lost all of my work and have avoided working on it since.

 

I am really sorry to hear that, Osvir. I know that is a pretty big blow, but I hope it won't stop you from working on your game.

 

You probably already know this (and I am not trying to rub salt in the wounds), but backing up your data is essential when you are working on larger projects. Starting this practice now will prevent future heartaches and frustrations. I use Git and Github for my own personal projects. It is cheap (about 7 dollars a month) and pretty easy to use. It also lets you share your work with collaborators in a quick and easy way.

[Osvir]

I use Dropbox and I quite like it, haven't tried Github but from what I've seen of of it from collaborators I've worked with (they used it) and I didn't quite like the interface on the receiving end and I've gotten comfortable with Dropbox already.
 

My main problem is scheduling and keeping the schedule I try to write and/or the to-do lists I make... is there any good program that gives you an electric shock or a pinch if you don't follow the schedule? xD

[JadedWolf]

My main problem is scheduling and keeping the schedule I try to write and/or the to-do lists I make... is there any good program that gives you an electric shock or a pinch if you don't follow the schedule? xD

 

Well, not a program per se, but...

 

-Produces two wired rods, crossing them, and creating a spark-

 

... I could be persuaded to change jobs. I will warn you that my fees are rather high, however.

[Osvir]

All I could persuade with would be percentage (of sales) and about 3-4 hours of free time of my day(+weekends), unfortunately. Stick to your job It is more of a hobbyist side-project at this point anyways, no income from it until the first base product is on the market