I think you will agree with me that starting a gaming development is not as easy as deciding in the first place Or is it? Perhaps it can be that simple. However, you need to have a plan before you venture into game development for a living.
You can go through our list below, and get to learn about the crucial aspects of building and growing a small video game company.
Why Should You Start A Video Game Development Company?
A video game development company is a business involved in the design and creation of digital and interactive games that you can play on several platforms. Such platforms range from personal computers to video game platforms such as gaming laptops and even cellular phones. The gaming industry has continuously experienced evolution, paving the way for more innovative players.
According to IBISWorld, the game development industry has a worth of $22 billion and has experienced a 9.1 percent growth rate between the periods of 2011 and 2016. Hence, with the relevant skills such as computer programming and engineering, graphics design, and animation, you can build your own gaming development business. However, if you are still confused about how to go about it, you can go through these tips:
Have a Business plan
To ensure your gaming business starts on a high basis, you need to set up a roadmap. It implies you need to have a business plan. You must have a clear idea to ensure the success and growth of your business as an entrepreneur. Here is a list of the requirements of your business plan:
Summarize the outline of your plan
Try imagining it as the goal of a resume: It expresses the aims and objectives of your business and describes what the reader is looking for. Consider this carefully.
Describe your Business
After a summary of the outline, you need to define your business. In doing this, you can mention the current landscape of the video game industry in general. For instance, if you are only developing mobile games at the moment, try and detail the current landscape of the mobile game industry. Furthermore, detail where you see the industry in the next 5+ years, and where you anticipate your gaming business to stand.
Strategize on Marketing your gaming Business
Also, you need to plan on how you are going to market your gaming business. It implies how you will create your games and how you will effectively manage the finances in the first 2-3 years of your business. It requires a lot of research, hence if you have a question, look for individuals or a peer with experience and have started their own business.
Make it Legal
You need to make your business legal because operating your business without legal protection can be detrimental. There are several shady developers out there that will be trying to steal your game's assets and take it as their own. They make a living stealing a game's code and refine it with a minor-tweaked name. It is a repulsive practice, and if by any chance your game becomes a huge hit, it will become an automatic target. Hence legal protection for your business is necessary.
The best platform to start is by deciding on what kind of business you will like to form. You might probably want to start with a sole proprietorship which will enable you to use still the catchy business name you came up with. It also will allow you to not be obligated to in-house employees, especially if you will be outsourcing 100% of your workload.
Another option is forming a partnership business, and if you like protection from debts and other liabilities, you will want to establish a limited liability company (LLC). An LLC gives you the opportunity to detail what duties, rights, and liabilities your employees will have.
Hiring & Building a Team
In accordance with the International Game Developers Association, the process involved in video game development requires a team that comprises game designers, both audio and visual artists, programmers, producers, etc.
A team is essential to the progress of your game development. However, you must ensure you can differentiate whether your workers are employees or contractors. The easiest way to distinguish between the two is that employees are entitled to benefits, and you must have a just cause to terminate them. Also, you should only hire an employee if you are planning to keep them for the long-term.
On the other hand, if you would like to avoid the stress of dealing with legal issues involved in hiring an employee, you can hire workers as contractors, especially if you intend outsourcing most of your work. Hiring contractors, instead of employees, may also help your business grow faster.
Creating a website & Brand awareness
Your brand represents your company, and it is the way the public perceives your business. Establishing a business website will allow customers to know more about your company and the products or services you offer. Ensure you create an attractive website where gamers can download and play, and if they are interested in purchasing the entire game.
The gaming industry is one that grows on publicity and also functions as a corporate identity to attract the target market. To exceed in this industry, you must be careful in choosing plans that will create a corporate identity and increase the awareness of your brand.
To create awareness, go to the developer forums and gamers. Send news releases about your new games to newspapers and game magazines. Another means is to network with the game store and retail outlets and paste fliers of your products there.
Marketing Plans & ideas
You should know that people will always be on the lookout to see the success of your product. So before you start marketing for your business, ensure that the game is developed and working well void of any defects. If it is released and with any flaw or error, it will have adverse consequences on your product.
In the gaming industry, the competition is quite high. To be recognized, you will need to use some marketing strategies that will build awareness of your firm and allow you to be exceptional. Some platforms you can adopt to market your business includes:
- Announce your company by sending out news releases and various stakeholders in the company
- Attend conferences, expos, seminars on video gaming to interface with other gamers and market your products as well
- Publicize your products in games magazines, in local and national newspapers, including television stations.
Retain Customers
The best way to make sure customers keep coming back for your product is to create a high-quality game that proves fun for an extended period. Several game players tend to develop loyalty to specific game-making firms as a result of the fact they found interest from the company's first set of games. Try to set up a durable and long-lasting bond with gamers by giving them useful content and products, and they will soon be faithful users.
Conclusion
This guide includes all the necessary information and tips to assist you in starting a game development company. Try not to assume that your first game will be a hit as it often takes time to develop a high-quality video game that gets to the mainstream tipping point. However, with more practice and experience, success will be inevitable.
