So, you’ve got this game. You’re carrying it around in your head. You spend all day thinking about it at work. You walk to the park at lunch and sit on a bench and bring out your sketch pad and draw. What if…...? A zillion ideas buzz around your head.
There’s only one problem, captain.
It’s going to cost a bazillion dollars to put this dream together.
Excuse me, does anybody have a bazillion dollars?
Where to look for money when your passion demands THIS game NEEDS to be made NOW!
WHAT’S THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE IN VIDEO GAME DEVELOPMENT?
Here’s the #1 truth about making video games
Everything changes every day.
New technology, new players, new games coming to the market that reinvent everything again.
How does a person keep up?
So, the corollary to the #1 truth everything changes every day is this:
What are people investing in?
It takes a long time to make a video game. The creative process alone guarantees the idea will grow, so if people give you money for one thing, you might spend it on another.
And people want information. Especially with money. They want to know exactly what they are investing in.
So, the first step to funding your video game is:
1. Make sure you know what you’re making
Do the math. Make the plans. Dig deep. Account for every cent and every step. Lay it all out in an investors deck and make sure you believe every word. Question everything until you do. Savvy investors will pick your beautiful game apart. I can guarantee you that. So be ready for it. Do the math and triple check it adds up.
Okay, you’ve made the killer deck, the captivating story bible, the breakout idea shined and polished and backed-up with spreadsheets and plans. Pages of plans.
What’s the next step?
2. Look under every rock
There are lots of ways to fund your world-building, iconic characters, never-before-seen gameplay mechanics.
HOW TO FUND YOUR VIDEO GAME DEVELOPMENT
Let’s look at some ways and means to fund your game.
o Self-funding: If you’ve got 5 mil in your savings bank, you’re in business and can stop reading. Oh, and here’s the Pitch for MY game. Seriously, the advantages of self-funding are unbeatable. You OWN the game when you pay for it.
o Crowdfunding: It’s a twofer. You get financed and you get people, gamer-type people, ready to play your game. It doesn’t get much better than that. Kickstarter, Indiegogo, Go Fund Me. Check them out.
o Angel investors and venture capital: What do these people want in return for their investment? Equity. Lots of equity. What are you prepared to give in return for their. money? Know the answer before you ask.
o Publishers: I think the secret sauce of all creative projects is distribution. Figure this part out and you’ve got a potential money-maker on your hands, and if your game is that good, publishers will want it. Publishers will provide funding for the game’s development in exchange for a share of the profits. Be ready to deal.
o Government funding: In some nations, governments offer grants to support the development of video games. Yes, it’s true. Just make sure you’re creating jobs, training, mentoring, giving back to the community.
o Sponsorship: Video games are taking over the world. “In 2019, the film industry reached $100 billion for the first time in history, while in 2020, the combined sports revenue in North America was over $75 billion - in the same year, the gaming industry generated revenue of nearly $180 billion.” gamepressure.com. Look to brands and other marketing channels to fund your baby.
STREAMLINE STUDIOS IDEATION TO MONITIZATION
At Streamline, we built our company from the ground-up. From four guys sitting in a room in the Netherlands, to a global video game development enterprise, with studios in Malaysia, the US and Colombia.
Piece by piece, art production, QA/QC, design, conceptual planning, monetization, we put together every step to provide our clients whatever they need to make their games and get them out into the world, from the first spark of an idea to millions of players engaging with your game.
If you dream, dream big. You can get there.
And when you need help to get there, reach out. We’d love to talk things over with you.
We’ll be at GDC Booth #S742, March 21st-23rd in San Francisco. So set up a time we can get into it, or just drop by.
Nothing is more fun than hearing about your dreams when your passion DEMANDS this game needs to be made NOW!
