Ready To Pitch My Game To Publisher

A

Anomaly

Guest
Hi Guys,

So, after about a month of using Game Maker, I've got pretty much the basics functionally working to demonstrate the concept of the game I'm wanting to make.
( AND I say "a month" to illustrate that it's a month strictly spending my time doing this, which is about to reach its end. Read : funding runs out...
Not for any other reasons)

Player Character is functional.
Game elements are functional. (Pretty much, for basic demonstration...)

A prototype would be relatively easy at this point to produce.

I think the theme / concept is a very sellable one.
I'm familiar with concepts that are successful and those that fail.

What's your opinion given this stage?

Sell the idea / premise without code / artwork ?
(Quick buck)

Pitch it for development?
(Long-er term thinking)

Protecting my intellectual property ie: concept etc?

I'm well aware, and using the plethora of resources regarding this that are out there. But...

What's YOUR experiences with this, if any?

THANKS!
 
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RangerX

Member
If you're not already under a publisher, you better have a full fledged prototype, almost a complete game if you even want them to dare look at it.
Games are generally pitched from the inside and indies mostly get a publisher because they raised attention with a completed game.
No saying a strike of luck is impossible but am just being realistic here.
 

Nocturne

Friendly Tyrant
Forum Staff
Admin
I have to agree with @RangerX here... you shouldn't even think about a publisher until you have at least a 90% finished project to show them. That is, unless you have a proven track-record of finished games that have been very successful, but even then a publisher may just say "meh, show me when you've finished"... Publishers don't throw money at projects just because the concept is good. They don't throw money, period! If you're very lucky and can pitch a nearly finished project to them, then they might advance some cash to help with polish, or porting, or advertising, but that will have to be paid back from the initial sales of the project before you get to see a dime for yourself.

Keep in mind, that no one buys a concept. Concepts are a dime a dozen and everyone wants to be The IDEAS Guy, when in reality that guy doesn't exist unless you're Peter Molyneux...
 

Yal

🐧 *penguin noises*
GMC Elder
I might also add that you don't really need a publisher either, I got locked into a pretty bad deal with one a few years ago (they basically took a 50% share of the game profits for releasing it to Steam and didn't help promoting it at all) so you might as well release it yourself on pages like gamejolt or itchio; once you have enough funding (and playtesting, hype etc) from there to get your game on Steam Direct, get it there and hope you get your money back.
 
I get a lot of offers from "publishers" but I have finished games. I feel like the prettiest belle at the ball.

As others have mentioned, I know for a fact I'd have zero offers if all I had was an idea or a pitch. Even TV shows have pilots long before they're seen on the air.

Publishers want a return on their money now. When a publisher buys a developer that has per-existing games there's always a re release of its catalog to get that money back fast.

Plus you might never make the game like so many Kickstarter stories. Then again you can always pitch your idea to Kickstarter and see how far it goes. Even the legendary John Romero was shot down for not having a prototype.

If I had to chose between selling a game idea versus making a game to sell it, each and every day, all day I'd devise game ideas and sell them without art or code. It would be an endless stream of randomly generated ideas. We should all do that! Even if you get a dime a dozen, you can still churn out hundreds per day.

- Dark Souls of baseball games set in a medieval fantasy world
- Dark Souls of football set in a futuristic landscape
- Dark Souls of Dark Souls 2, but set in a high school with talking teddy bears
- Dark Souls of Contra games... but with better art and no I don't have art, just imagine it
 
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hogwater

Member
I get a lot of offers from "publishers" but I have finished games. I feel like the prettiest belle at the ball.

As others have mentioned, I know for a fact I'd have zero offers if all I had was an idea or a pitch. Even TV shows have pilots long before they're seen on the air.

Publishers want a return on their money now. When a publisher buys a developer that has per-existing games there's always a re release of its catalog to get that money back fast.

Plus you might never make the game like so many Kickstarter stories. Then again you can always pitch your idea to Kickstarter and see how far it goes. Even the legendary John Romero was shot down for not having a prototype.

If I had to chose between selling a game idea versus making a game to sell it, each and every day, all day I'd devise game ideas and sell them without art or code. It would be an endless stream of randomly generated ideas. We should all do that! Even if you get a dime a dozen, you can still churn out hundreds per day.

- Dark Souls of baseball games set in a medieval fantasy world
- Dark Souls of football set in a futuristic landscape
- Dark Souls of Dark Souls 2, but set in a high school with talking teddy bears
- Dark Souls of Contra games... but with better art and no I don't have art, just imagine it
I know you're joking, but it's kind of funny that this is almost exactly how corporate music works these days. People just make beats, sounds and short loops all day hoping that something will make money.
 
A

Anomaly

Guest
I know you're joking, but it's kind of funny that this is almost exactly how corporate music works these days. People just make beats, sounds and short loops all day hoping that something will make money.
True...snit The music. Know it well.
Then again big market for video game music.
I'm putting allot of my own tracks in my new project along with a few incredible artists I know well.
Hey, publicity is publicity...
You can even sell your tracks through in game purchases.

Thanks for all the cool responses so far guys.
Lots ta chew on.
 
I know you're joking, but it's kind of funny that this is almost exactly how corporate music works these days. People just make beats, sounds and short loops all day hoping that something will make money.
Sounds like an asset pack.
 
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