Advice for Starting Your Own Game Studio
I asked my network for advice on starting a game studio. Here’s what a group of game devs told me.
Understand Why You Want to Start a Studio
Figure out why you want to make a studio. Do you want to be your own boss, or work with only the people you choose? Do you want to work on a specific IP or technology? Do you want to innovate?
This can be a combination of different things, but ultimately you need to prioritize it just like you would when you’re outlining priorities for a product. Just like in product design, there are many factors, people, and ideas that will distract you from the main goals.
Create a framework that you can make decisions on and outline your values. I’ve seen this implemented through design principles, like Rec Room’s values posted on their website.
Make Games that You and Your Team Enjoy Without Trying to Fit a Certain Box
My philosophy is that people should makes games that they themselves would enjoy playing, rather than trying to please the masses. There’s always someone else out there who would enjoy your art.
Dwarf Fortress is an excellent example of this. A game almost 20 years in the making, surviving solely on donations, created by only two people who just wanted to make something they liked.
Build a Network Before Starting
It’s easier to find new work and make your work known with a big network.
I’m not going to tell you that it’s easy. I’ve gone from company to company building my network of people who vouch for my work. That’s one way to start. You can also ask people for advice, share your work, create a public dev log, contribute on Twitter and LinkedIn, or write some articles about your experiences.
Asking for advice has been one of my quickest ways to get people engaged with me on a personal level, so I often do that. Even when I think I don’t need it. It helps get a larger pulse on whatever topic you’re engaging about, and helps people feel a little invested in you.
Make a Prototype
Having an idea is just the first step. That idea will shift and change as you build it, it never stays the same as the initial thought. You’ll find that you over-scoped, or that it wasn’t fun, or you found something more interesting.
Having a prototype will make it easier to share, find publishers, Kickstart it. Whatever channel you’re trying to move toward, It will just be easier.
Hire an Attorney Early
I don’t have much experience with this. But at the core this means hiring people who know more than you do in certain areas because they will get it done better and faster than you can. Legal issues can be a pain.
Some of the legal items someone in my network listed:
Make sure you have the right entity structure for your needs.
Making sure management roles / ownership / vesting ETC are established between any one involved.
Making sure your game studio actually owns all its IP with various collaborators and contractors.
Make sure you are clear on a Trademark front before you start marketing.
Have a Backup Plan
There are so many businesses that aren’t lucrative. If you need to support yourself, you need to have a way to do so. Remember that it’s okay if you don’t make money on a game because you probably had a good time, but you gotta eat somehow.
Make Games, But Don’t Take Part in the Game Industry
I like this one. Mostly because I really just want to make games and that’s what I value. I do think there is a necessary evil to taking part of the larger community (or I wouldn’t be writing this article) but it really sets you straight if you’re trying to make a game and you end up writing articles on say, breaking news on the latest evil game studio in the industry.
Hire a Dedicated Game Designer
This advice comes straight from me. Many people mistake game design as simply a hobby, or just a ‘part-time’ thing. I’ve seen their projects flounder for it, because they don’t have someone dedicated to it.
There are many different sub-disciplines inside game design, from quest design, to systems design, to world building and narrative. But the most important jobs to be done by a Game Designer include:
- Setting the principles of the gameplay
- Communicating the vision for the entire experience
- Making systems work together
- Simulating economy, systems, content burn-down rates
- Creating player progression maps
My last piece of advice to you: Take the chance.
