i’m working on an idea….

[Anonymous]

OK this could be completely unethical, unprofessional and unpractical but I’ve been thinking about this for a while. Try not to be too brutal :lol:

I recently set up a game development company in carlow with a few other graduates from Carlow’s game development course and while it’s been very interesting and fun so far, I am thinking that it may be very beneficial to work closely with other brand new start ups. There have been a few that i’ve spotted in the last while and although there is the Irish chapter of the IGDA around, I think that might be almost too formal or "big" for us to properly benefit from.

I know we could use some good contacts in certain areas of development and there have been some projects we’ve had to pass up because they were too big for us to tackle. We all finished college with the hope of getting to make games all day but it was very obvious after leaving college that unless we were EXTREMELY lucky, we weren’t going to get a job anywhere. Believe me, I tried before we set up.

So my query is, would other relatively new companies be interested in forming, for want of a better word, an alliance? I have alot more ideas of how it could work to benefit everyone but I’d like to see if there is any interest first?

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

A few questions…

1. Your existing team size? Artists/Programmers/Designers?

2. Existing titles in development?

3. Target market, platforms, etc.?

[Anonymous]

1. There’s 3 programmers and we’re paying an artist to work with us at the minute. No "qualified" Designers but something we’re all very interested in and actively partake in.

2. We’re working on the iPhone market at the moment. We’d like to work on something bigger but we think this would be a good start. We released one app as contract work and we have two programmers working on our first iPhone game and the third working on an iPhone specific engine.

3. As above, we are targeting iPhone market, specifically using the downloadable content business model on it. however we have been accepting contract work on other platforms including PC and other mobile devices.

As pointed out in 2. we’d like to go into something like the console market but we were told that the console dev kits can’t be simply bought and sold, the development’s team reputation is also taken into consideration. Thats why we’ve starting on iPhone, in our eyes, the easiest way to establish a name as a game developer

[Anonymous]

Following on from focussed questions in previous post please checkout http://www.apps.ie . Some GD members are also part of this group.

The apps store contains 80k apps and games – how will yours stand out.

Have the team considered other equally open developer platforms for your game IP;

+ Web / Silverlight / Flash (iPhone)
+ HTC / Android
+ XNA / Xbox Live Indie Games
+ PC / Windows 7
+ Symbian / Ovi

Or as a bit of a PR stunt iSlate?

[Anonymous]

When you mentioned "contracts" would you be able to expand on the contracts. i.e. were you approached to develop games for 3rd party or did you approach a company and offer to make a promotional demo. For example, a small game which cross promotes an existing product (coke video games, pepsi etc).

Also on a side note I’ve often wondered if the struggle to startup a video game company in Ireland is simple down to lack of experience. For example, how many people have actually tried to setup a studio or small game business here that have "actually" sat in another studio and produced a published game with an experienced team? I would imagine approaching an investor or potential contract up for grabs surely the investors will be alot more comfortable with investment if they know that the people have done this sort of work before? They simply are more likely to succeed.

A classic games industry example I like to think about is the following. This is a fictional example but a common one:

1: Company lets call them "Acme Games" had a bunch of employees who worked on games lets call them Catacomb Raider 1->5 ( be it FPS,3rd person,racing, puzzle,rpg).

2: These employees split away after a while as they want to make their own stuff so they approach a publisher with their new company FreeLanceGamers.

In meetings with the publisher what do you think their strongest assets are: I’ll tell ya.

Best bet to get your studio off the ground is their previous experience on Catacomb Raiders. They made 5 games, they’ve all worked together on these and these FPS are chart toppers. So best bet for this new company is to cut a deal and start by making a similar genre of game for this publisher. After a few iterations they will now be in a better position to negotiate a new IP, which is quite different, as the trust is earned between the two and the publisher has a new IP they never had which is successful.

I see this happen all the time in the industry, thats why I laugh when someone says "X has started a new company, I wonder what they are working on?" I laugh because if you want to know what genre they are most likely working on, you look at the people working there and their past experiences. If these guys have a publisher they are most likely doing something familar unless they have decades of experience or their own cash. Publishers dont like to risk money on the unknown. Its pretty sound business sense.

Moral of this long story (sorry i should have kept it brief ;) ) is that IMHO to get something going and make it last through to publication ( especially if we are ever to see an PSN or XBL or any console title) is to have people that have done this before. The new guys will learn from these guys and these guys will give you publishers/investors trust and a greater likelihood of success/return on their investment.

Out of interest since this games course in Carlow started, how many guys are working in recognised game companies ( i.e. UK industry etc). If theres not many, have the questions been asked why and have the issues been addressed by the college because I know for a fact there is always a good few number of graduate positions available int he UK.

my 2 cents anyway.

[Anonymous]

SocksUp – we have looked at other platforms but the reason we like the iPhone store at the moment is because its recognised as a mobile gaming platform with a standard set of dimensions. One of the guys working with us used to work in a mobile gaming company and was very quick to point out the work in porting games for different handsets.

Although I see alot of potential with iSlate :)

peter_b – When i spoke of contracts, we were approached by people primarily, not just for games, thanks to contacts from the college. We are currently in talks with a UK company about a project, our first time approaching and proposing a product which is exciting.

What you spoke about in the rest of your post is very interesting and all of points I agree with. During our time in college, we all do our industrial placement in local companies and while not being of the same standard as being part of a full time team, we have a much greater knowledge of how the game development cycle works than a team without this experience.

But i agree, I’d love to have someone with that experience on our team but what have we got to offer? We’ve relatively no income, that which we did have, we are using to pay for art assets. At this moment in time, we’re pretty much on our own, and while we may be inexperienced, we’re dedicated and determined.

I can’t say for definite but of the group that left with me, as far as i know, one person has made it into a recognised game development studio. I’d like to think that the reason we’re all having trouble is the "minimum experience" hurdle that most jobs are offering. So even if our efforts as a company go belly up, at least we’ll have a year’s experience so far :D

[Anonymous]

But i agree, I’d love to have someone with that experience on our team but what have we got to offer? We’ve relatively no income, that which we did have, we are using to pay for art assets. At this moment in time, we’re pretty much on our own, and while we may be inexperienced, we’re dedicated and determined.

I can’t say for definite but of the group that left with me, as far as i know, one person has made it into a recognised game development studio. I’d like to think that the reason we’re all having trouble is the "minimum experience" hurdle that most jobs are offering. So even if our efforts as a company go belly up, at least we’ll have a year’s experience so far :D[/quote:3cacd9dd54]

Will what I meant was ye yourselves getting the experience within a game studio then starting something up once that experience has been acquired. I would have thought at least 2 years is required to really get to grips with the industry and know what your doing etc. Obviously, the more years the easier you’ll find it.

As for your lack of experience and getting a game job. Graduate roles are specifically targeted at talented individuals with great potential but little to no job experience (hence the reason the wage is usually in accordance). So that should’nt stop you.
However, I do agree given 2 candidates of equal talent/ability/attitude, and one having experience and the other none I’d probably go for the one with some experience. Its the tie-breaker. So your right this venture will get you some experience at the very least ;)

[Anonymous]

Congrats on getting a team together. I do think iPhone development counts for something on a c.v which is why I have done some iPhone work too. Tough to run as a business as early entry was where the easy money was. I think the suggestion to do something ready for the islate is what I would do. Whatever support you guys need just post or pm.

[Anonymous]

don’t suppose thats financial support? 8)

[Anonymous]

Nope, but tough it out as an unfinished project counts for nothing. It is hard but your team will need to be committed.

[Anonymous]

SocksUp – we have looked at other platforms but the reason we like the iPhone store at the moment is because its recognised as a mobile gaming platform with a standard set of dimensions. One of the guys working with us used to work in a mobile gaming company and was very quick to point out the work in porting games for different handsets.

[/quote:db34996c43]

Say Hi to Simon from me ;)

To be honest, with no capital and no artist you are trying to run up a hill.
Being unemployed your greatest asset at the moment is time. You seem to be very ambitious which is alway good but the majority of idea’s for studios from graduates always falter because some people are just not willing to get the work done. Getting a studio off the ground without someone bank rolling you is hard work. Your best bet is to have a decent portfolio and skillset displayed to investors.

I’m not a huge fan of the iPhone market tbh. It has very few barriers to entry ad that’s why the market is flooded. It’s also very hard to maintain an income from it unless you are hitting the charts weekly. At best you could possibly bank roll one or two titles if you get lucky but for something with any lifespan it’s not a good idea.

I would seriously look at the Android market place and the possibility of cross platform releases. Awareness of your IP and Studio will always help it to grow and realistically what you want is for people to come looking for you instead of visa versa.

Gaining industry experience is always good, but you have to remember that unless you are very motivated then the time you spend earning your bread is time away from your own projects, and often you will just let the dream slide.

If your main aims are to have your own studio then I would suggest getting your IP onto as many platforms as possible. If you can approach a VC with your game on 4 platforms as opposed to just the appstore then they will look far more favourable on you as your not restricted to a single market place and can also show that you can be versitile.

Also consider some smaller projects like remakes of halcyon titles, free to play games, Facebook etc. At the end of the day getting your names out there internationally will help lots if/when you do go looking for work.

Also, have you contacted the likes of Jolt or other emergin companies?
Try firing off an Email to some of Irelands sucesses asking for advice on how to approach VC’s.

best of luck to you anyways, Eagerness and Ambition (and ultimately a new studio :D ) are everything needed to improve the industry here.

[Anonymous]

I’d second the notion that you should get familiar with http://apps.ie and the best way to do that is to make your way to XCake – http://x-cake.ning.com if you’re doing iPhone and/or iPad development. Lots of local free support and lots of great folk (and I should know, I started it :))

Later this month we’re holding a games related event in Belfast – you need to show up to these sorts of things and see who you can talk to :)

So YES. FORMING AN ALLIANCE is a good thing. This is a step towards eventually having an indigenous publisher. We use Digital Circle and X-Cake to create informal alliances between companies. It’s not unethical – it’s a recognised way to improve your chances of survival.

Also – in April, Digital Circle with support from InvestNI and IntertradeIreland are running DevDays in Dublin and Belfast and will be repeating it in Cork and Derry in May. Last year it was all about iPhone. This year it will be much wider in remit.

I’d be hesitant in promising any other market than iPhone at the moment. There just isn’t the real buzz on anything else and worse – even on the platforms which are doing quite well (Android), there’s a huge issue with fragmentation of hardware compounded with the fact that the percentage of paying customers on Android is much lower than on iPhone. Make your name on iPhone with help from GD.ie, XCake and other groups.

If you get the chance, talk to Fred Herrera at IADT in Dun Laoghaire. He has some amazing ideas on how to move forward in this as well as potential funding. Also talk to Evert Bopp (Tipp) as he’s involved with the Inventorium at the NDRC. http://www.ndrc.ie/projects/inventorium/ Also check out their Launch Pad: http://www.ndrc.ie/projects/entrepreneurial-internships/

[Anonymous]

I’d like to think that the reason we’re all having trouble is the "minimum experience" hurdle that most jobs are offering. [/quote:a6bb140b94]
There is no "minimum experience" requirement on entry level jobs, only on positions for experienced developers. If you are applying for posts that are advertised with a minimum experience requirement then you are applying for the wrong positions.

Experienced developers are hard to find so developers must advertise to attract them. Entry level staff are easy to find so developers don’t need to advertise. This is why all advertised positions require experience – it doesn’t mean ALL positions require experience. To get an entry level job you would need to contact developers directly (phone is best) to ask if they have any entry level positions. Then send your resume and portfolio.

As to your original question – would it be ok to team up with other developers? Yes sure. I have done mentoring for start-up developers coming out of Teeside University and several of the companies gained experience working on projects with established local developers.

[Anonymous]

RedXIV, good luck, its good to hear about your start-up :)

I came across this today: http://www.bizstartup.ie/

[Anonymous]

Are you planning on using Unity Engine for your iPhone development?

[Anonymous]

Hi REDXVI, I am an experienced sound designer recently returned from london. I am in the process of setting up an audio studio that services the games & online media industry in Ireland. It would be great to have a chat about working together.

drop me a line @ interactiveaudiodesign@gmail.com

Cheers

iAudioDesign

[Anonymous]

Woo Networking: I approve :)

[Author]

Posts