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Advice for Aspiring & Start-Ups Indie Developers

Advice for Aspiring & Start-Ups Indie DevelopersPhilip & Andrew Oliver

25th April 2019

Bristol


Overview

● Our Background

● Making Games - Employee or Indie

● Avoiding your First Game being your Last

● Have a Plan and Write it Down

● Have a Slick Development Pipeline

● Questions (if time)


Growing up in the 80’s


The Oliver Twins● Playing games turned quickly to wanting to make games

● Early 80’s – started in BASIC

● Many set backs – but eventually games published

● Learnt Assembler (6502 & Z80 – then 68000) = Action Games

● Huge success: 50 games, over half became UK #1 Best Sellers

● The Most Prolific 8Bit Game Developers in the World

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Blitz Games

● Founders: Managing, Creative & Technical Directors

● Peak staff 235 : 5 teams

● 73 Titles: 161 SKU’s: 30 PC, 10 PS, 19 PS2, 11 GC, 13 Wii, 9 PS3, 21 Xbox360, 30 Handheld

● 44m Games sold, estimated retail value over $1.5bn

1992 – 2013


●Radiant Worlds - September 2013

● In Partnership with Smilegate

●100% online, digital and global

● Focused on 1 new game

●Team started at 50, grew to 100+ people

2013 – 2019

●Radiant Worlds sold to Rebellion – December

2017

● Friends with owners – Kingsley Brothers

●100% Independent Developers & Publisher

●Over 300 Employees – Oxford, Warwick, Runcorn

● Famous for 2000 AD & Judge Dredd,

Sniper Elite, Nazi Zombie Army & Battle Zone.


Game Dragons

Joining Rebellion

● Now professional Independent consultants to:

• Developers

• Brand Holders

• Investors

• Education

• Writing advice articles for Indies

(in GamesIndustry.biz & PC Games Insider – Links will be in the blog on our website, Facebook and

Twitter)

● We’re looking forward to using our skills and experience to help others

succeed


Making a Living from Making Games

• It’s tough! Many want to achieve this – it’s become a dream job. But ‘supply’ out-stripes demand.

• Those that will succeed are those that try the hardest, have the best approach and have some luck

Whatever you choose – Good Luck!

Working for an established Game Developer

• Prepare a great portfolio

• Show enthusiasm for the art

• Be an expert in one area – not a ‘Jack of all trades’

• Apply to a lot of places:

You gain experience from all interviews – good or bad

• A great job is not necessary about the title you work on, or the

highest salary - it’s about enjoying the work and the team

• Learn a lot from joining an experienced team

Going Indie

• It’s not all about the game!

• Identify your audience and the niche and make it the best for them

• Marketing and PR. It’s a flooded market – how do you get noticed?

• Be Convenient - easy to find, play and pay

• The Financial and Legal side of the business matters

• Do you know all the difference skills of a game dev. business?

• Take advice, but you’re responsible for final decisions

• It’s a very expensive gamble


Avoiding your first game being your lastWriting the game you want to make is OK for a hobby, but…

… if you want a successful career making games:

● Research what people will pay money for

● Find a niche - it’s a crowded market

● Don’t go head to head with the incumbent – you’ll lose

● Don’t be too ambitious

● Make sure you finish and release the game

● Take onboard feedback to improve it

Make sure your next game is better and more successful – and keep repeating!


Have a plan and write it down

Embarking on being an Indie Game Developer is a big step and you should plan it !

● Create a business plan – must cover first year

● Decide and agree:

• Each team member’s responsibility

• What happens if someone needs or wants to leave

• How big decisions are taken – voting?

• What the costs are and what will be purchased

• What the projected income targets will be and when!

• Produce a Cashflow forecast for at least 1 year

● Seek advice. It gives you options, but the final decision is your responsibility.


Have a slick development pipelineThe easier it is to make your game…

… the more fun it will be to make and the better it will be!

● A slick pipeline takes upfront investment and planning:

• Use the best tools for the job – sadly it might cost a little more

• Choose the best Engine and Plug-ins

Make sure you understand the licensing costs

• Plan the fastest pipeline for making assets and getting them into the game

• Ensure backups are automatic

• Consider coding the data editors into the game – like a level editor

● Ensure that when making any small addition or tweak – it’s very fast to try to it!


Thank you

Time for Questions ?

Read More

Behind the Scenes >

Available on Amazon

More Behind the scenes videos @

YouTube.com/c/OliverTwins<date>

Philip & Andrew OliverPlay Crayta @

www.Crayta.com

Advice Articles on

www.GameDragons.com

Follow on Facebook & Twitter

@TheOliverTwins

@GameDragons


Sneak Peak – Early Alpha

● A powerful fun collaborative game creation and sharing platform – coming soon

● Built using Unreal 4.

● The goal is to enable and empower everyone to make great games - fast!


Thank you

www.GameDragons.com

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