how to make a profitable game under $3k
TRANSCRIPT
How to make a profitable game
under $3000
Commercial dev by day / indie dev by night
Star Tactics is a turn-based tactics game about starship fleets battles
Star Tactics
Top-down, stylized graphicsTurn-based combatNo story Two campaignsRandom battles
Unity3dSteam (Win/Linux/Mac)Android - to be releasediOS - to be released
>6k owners$3000 budgetAlready paid off2 people core team2 outsource artistsFree soundsMusic from an older projectDIY trailer (thanks to my GF)
Budget under $3k You can do it too!
Become a producer!
Who is a producer? It’s a person who gives money to other people and they make him a game.Become a producer. Order a game.
Your money, your rulesChoose with whom to collaborateYour responsibility
Why become a producer?
I tried several approaches to indie-development: collaboration with other people - mostly fails due to human factorone-man team - too much work; I don’t codehiring a pro-dev, monthly basis - too expensive, weak motivationworking with publishers - terrible terms, you know
Let’s start!
Define what’s need to be doneDefine what can be done by youFind and hire missing rolesPrepare planningReady to rock!
Principles
Team is crucialSimple gameProven conceptRealistic goalsCheapest team possible - hire students, do it it yourself, use colleagues’ helpUse enginesIndie marketingMaximize quality, make a small but good gameDo cheap features that add value (skirmish mode)Don’t start from skratch: Find a game you really enjoy playing -> Check if it’s successful -> Think about what you want to
improve -> Change setting to your favorite -> This is your conceptGet a job in game industry!Get some experienceDiscuss your ideas and don’t be afraid - idea without implementation costs nothingYou NEED experience. This is your most valuable asset
Team Hire students!Choose who are eager to do your game! Pay fixed per project cost - this is crucial!Be a visioner… and fill every other role you
can1 developer is all you need
Star Tactics team:1 dev + me (GD, manager) + 1 2D part time
+ 1 3D part time
A good candidate
Young PassionateEager to implement your gameMight even make you a draft prototypeYou like him as a personality
Budget sources
Salary! Your main sourceStudents are cheapPer project cost - no other ways. Absolutely. Don’t count price of your work! In other case your budget will be 3-10x higherYour friends may help. By doing some work or giving some money
Simplify Production
Simple visuals, style matters.Simple featuresDon’t overdesignUse engines (again)Marketplace assetsYour colleagues can do part of work
Task tracking!Deadlines!Prepare in advance (store pages, art etc.)You don’t need perfect code! You need a finished game! Most likely you won’t do Game Evolution for this game
Target audienceStar Tactics fills a niche of hardcore games in which thinking is a main skill.Player who values words ‘pay once, play forever’ will appreciate this game because it provides a lot for its price. It’s a game with simple and clear rules but challenging thoughtful gameplay and significant playtime. Star Tactics has a strong community waiting for its mobile release.
Star Tactics will fit to a player who is a fan of:sci-fihardcore strategiesturn-based gamesspaceshipstactical combatbuying a game once and playing it for a long timeOur player is also:a male18-45 years oldNorth American, Western European or Asian ( we didn’t expect
Asia but Steam sale stats prove it)
Marketing
Twitter, Insta, FB - all this shit doesn’t work without tons of moneyFB/Twitter ads doesn’t work at your budget’s scaleTwitter has the best audienceUse autolikers (archie.co) and other SMM tools (Hootsuite)Your sales will be miserableBut your game will be profitableBecause it’s fucking cheapStart to do marketing as early as possibleEverything is a marketing asset
Mistakes
Don’t portDevelop for target deviceI did it just to make a game. Set money goals. Just paying off is okDevelop for target audienceDon’t become too addictedDon’t expect a lot of moneyDon’t delay paperworkPricing - find somebody who knows how it works. Check your
target audience
Press Before release1.5k sent emails72 opens12 link clicks4 replies0 results
News even on PocketGamer doesn’t help
After release100+ received emails30+ coverages
Release
Release preparations take about 1 monthDo the paperwork in // (It eats time. Really)Go Greenlight as early as possible, don’t
delay itLocal communities (i.e. Likers Tribe) can help
with different stuffPlaytest with friendsPlaytest with colleaguesFind some GDs to playtest your game too!
Revenue First night might and most likely will show TERRIBLE sales
Bundles (Indie Gala)Bundles give some money but their value is in
huge (for indie) visibilitySteam farmers - few hundred bucks never killed
nobodySteam revenue is very low comparing to what you
can imagineSteam sales are cool! Use it!Other stores doesn’t make moneyHigh expectations is your enemy!
Community management
Nice to have, but not crucialYour GF/BF is the best option
Thanks for your attention!
See your game on the stores!