Developing Relationships - PlayFirst Grapevine
As a full-service publisher, PlayFirst is focused on collaborating with developers to make great products, supplementing any of the needs that a team might have. From sales and marketing information, to formal usability testing, to recommending contract artists, audio resources, or writers, PlayFirst is a partner for the long haul – the lifetime of the game is measured in months and years, not a few days after launch. It’s also critical for us to structure a fair deal for our developers, balancing the up front and back end payments for the work the developer completes – you should demand and expect to make a profit, while we assume the up front financial risk.
I like to describe our relationship with developers like driving a car. During design and development we want the developer to be behind the wheel, driving the car, with their PlayFirst producer seated in the passenger seat and some of our creative designers and/or artists in the back seats. The developer is the visionary for the product. We’re there to help “read the map” and make sure that we’re driving on the right road and headed in the right direction. What we ask in return is that once the game reaches Gold Master, we pull the car to the side of the road and switch seats – PlayFirst is going to drive the car on the roads that we know best. We’re going to get the game distributed to more than 600 websites around the world, localize the title into multiple languages, promote and market the game with our key partners, and begin to push opportunities to have the game appear in retail, on alternate platforms, and wherever casual games can be sold.
To hear about the inspiration behind game development in the words of one of our newest development partners, read Wadjet Eye’s Dave Gilbert’s thoughts on Emerald City Confidential here: http://www.playfirst.com/blog/211
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posted Jan 6, 2009 9:43:41 PM