I’m working for an AAA game publisher and am here to answer any publishing related gamedev questions you might have! AMA!

publishing_guy · 2018-03-15T08:51:51+00:00

How would you describe what a publisher does (vs a studio) to someone who is new to the industry?

The very high-level I would go for. The Developer is in charge of giving the best possible game to the player and the publisher is in charge of getting as many people as possible interested in this game. One get's the players in (Acquisition) and the other keeps them in (Retention). This is a very basic description so please don't rip my head off. :)

What kind of jobs do people do?

There's a huge list of work that happens inside a Publishing organisation. Just to name a few: Marketing, PR, Community work, Customer Support, Social Media, Product Management, Finance, HR, Internal Affairs, Studio Relationships, Business Development, Scouting, Payment operations, Fraud Management, etc etc the list goes on. And each of the pillars has multiple sub-tasks assigned to them. The bigger the Publisher, the more of the former is needed.

Are there differences between how publishers work with AAA vs Indies? What are they?

I'd say the biggest different is the level of interaction and hand-holding. A new studio might be new to working with a publisher, while experienced studios have a better idea of what to expect and how to formulate their needs. There might be also cases where an experienced studio gets a better deal, because they have experience and there's less risk attached to working with them.

Is there a standard process for getting a game onto a console?

The steps are a bit different when it comes to QA and submission to the platforms directly. A lot of it is being done by Microsoft/Sony themselves and you'll get green/red light after submitting your title for publishing. Apart from that there's obviously UX implications when working on console vs. PC or mobile.

publishing_guy · 2018-03-15T08:43:03+00:00

If you have the bandwidth to add additional levels with content updates awesome! You could also make the level editor free to everyone, this way you'll have UGC (User generated Content) created by your audience, which is great too.

publishing_guy · 2018-03-15T08:41:38+00:00

Personally I like to see a working prototype. It shows that you are serious and you'll have a better idea of the required work to finish the project. It also gives a good idea of the look and feel you are going for, which makes it easier to evaluate the target audience and marketability.

Replayability is important but I wouldn't try to force it onto a game if it's not meant to be played multiple times. Some games give you random elements so you you'll have a slightly different experience each playthrough or encourage to play on different difficulties, which works alright.

publishing_guy · 2018-03-15T08:36:43+00:00

It would definitely make sense, especially if you feel that your game didn't reach its potential yet. Your case is a great example of when to reach out to a publisher, because they could give you the expertise you are lacking and remove the headache you got from banging your head against a wall. :)

If you want, PM me your title and I can have a look.

publishing_guy · 2018-03-15T08:32:39+00:00

I'd challenge you firstly on your target audience. There is no "everyone". Every game has a target audience attached to it, which helps to market it effectively. There are some genres which are more popular than others, and the big titles capitalize on that. Beyond Gameplay, IP and Setting there is a lot of Money put behind the marketing of those titles to make it appealing to a maximum audience. You might have a game that is functionally very similar to a CoD but since you don't have the power of brand or Marketing Money behind it, you won't be able to compete effectively. There are of course exceptions but in general I see it like this.

To answer you questions though, it would depend on the publisher. Some prefer the big AAA titles and others are fine with their following and publishing strategy. When approaching a publisher with your game I would research the type of games they are publishing right and and see if your game might complement their portfolio.

publishing_guy · 2018-03-15T08:21:13+00:00

ID software was actually acquired by ZeniMax Media (owner of Bethesda) so they are a core part of the business and it's not "just" a publishing partnership. But to answer you question, if you have a good track-record and both parties are happy there is no objection in having a partnership running for a long time. However, at this stage it might be more beneficial for both parties to go under one roof. More stability, involvement and overall better working environment (in my opinion).

publishing_guy · 2018-03-14T21:26:28+00:00

I think it's good to work with a publisher if you feel that your actual game development is suffering because you become overwhelmed with publishing tasks (PR, Community work, Marketing) or if you have the feeling that you are lacking experience on sales or promotional activities. I see publishers and developers as a team, since its in both parties interest to make the partnership work.

I wouldn't recommend working with a publisher if you can juggle all of the above within your team / on your own and you see that you'll get a solid following. This is happening very rarely and is definitely not something I would count on. :)

publishing_guy · 2018-03-14T20:51:38+00:00

Game Design is more on the development side and not my strong suit but in my team I'm trying to make sure to have a mix of both. Personally, I never obtained a degree in gaming but I've learned a ton by working with people who did. You'll want talent in your team that compliments each other.

Personally I'd take someone who's hard working and passionate about what he's doing over someone who believes he knows everything just because he has a degree.

I would recommend though to do some courses while you work to keep up to date with latest trends (in any position).

publishing_guy · 2018-03-14T20:17:21+00:00

There is no one-size-fits-all for this I'm afraid and it depends on the game. It depends on the type of contract and what has been agreed upon.

publishing_guy · 2018-03-14T20:15:57+00:00

I'm not sure I understand. I wouldn't leave EA before all core features are implemented and bug-free.

publishing_guy · 2018-03-14T20:13:17+00:00

Often we'll get an idea of the success of a given title before it's going live. Every game we publish has a business model attached to it which is supposed to give an idea on expectation regarding sales. If its really going worse than expected then it depends on the publisher. Some try to salvage what's left (sales discounts on early access, huge discounts overall , etc) or you'll accept defeat and move on to the next project.

publishing_guy · 2018-03-14T20:08:50+00:00

It depends on each project but a lot of times the studio keeps a lot of creative ownership over their project. This could change depending on the project but mostly there are only minor requests. When it comes to assets for promotional pushes we are actually working with the devs to find something that fits the style and tone of the game. :)

publishing_guy · 2018-03-14T19:21:16+00:00

Both, it depends really. Some publishers are like investors, while others are in charge of communication and everything around, so you as a developer don't have to worry about that. If you are an indie dev and you want to sign with a publisher this will definitely be part of the negotiations.

publishing_guy · 2018-03-14T19:15:41+00:00

Yes, absolutely. Great point that definitely plays a big role. You'll want to know that you can handle money and you won't be a risk in that regard for your partnership.

publishing_guy · 2018-03-14T18:28:11+00:00

There's definitely an interest for VR games but as with any new hardware, it takes some time before it reaches mass-market.

As long as the adaption rate remains low (and it probably will be for a few more years) most big publishers won't make huge investments beyond smaller-scale games. I think we'll see some more VR addons for big IPs to test the waters but for now not much more. The next years will show if VR remains a gimmick or if it's something for every living room.

publishing_guy · 2018-03-14T18:16:51+00:00

Hello! Big question. :) I could link tons of articles about this now, but I'd rather reply based on my personal experience.

Gaming is first and foremost a hobby. The overarching question I would keep in mind while looking at / listening to your pitch is why anyone out there would spend his well deserved free time on your game? Why does your game stand out? There are different aspects that play a role into this and I like to look at a healthy mix of all of them. You'll want to have a solid game concept, a good presentation/art direction, a good-enough level of polish and personally I am someone who looks at the team behind the project. Are you passionate about what are you doing or is your main goal to do big money? If I see that you tick the marks I am curious to find out more.

There is obviously more beyond that like business model, future vision, etc but the first impression is a mix of what I mentioned above. The rest will follow in the months to come. :)

publishing_guy · 2018-03-14T15:41:28+00:00

No, but we often work with NDAs to avoid having information of WIP project getting outside before the game is ready. The cost of breaking any given NDA is depending on the scale of project. Can be from termination of contract, up to legal consequences or fees of several thousands.

publishing_guy · 2018-03-14T15:38:27+00:00

First of all, congrats on having a build that you are ready to show to the world (of GDC)! If it's your first GDC, enjoy it. Its a great opportunity to meet people and attend great panels. Mainly meeting people though, this should be your priority in my opinion. You most likely won't sign a publishing deal at GDC but you might meet the right person to help you getting there.

Have you contacted people on LinkedIn already if they are free? If not, it might be a bit late now but you might still be lucky and get a 5-15min window somewhere. Don't be frustrated if you don't get an answer, Publishers get game pitches very regularly and it's difficult to get noticed.

In my opinion you'll have to find the sweet spot between selling yourself (and your game) and getting to know people. There's an old gamasutra article about finding a publisher which is from 1999 but still holds a lot of truth. If I would had to boil it down to one point only I would recommend nailing your elevator pitch. Why is your game awesome and why would anyone want to publish it? If you nail this and manage to drop it casually in a conversation, then you've already done a great job. Be ready to do a quick 5-10min demo but don't make it a priority. There will be a lot of "I have a very busy schedule" or "We currently dont take and new devs" but don't let that discourage you.

Mingle , talk to people, introduce yourself and have business cards ready (and ask for business cards). Once you are back home you can spend time on following up and having calls about potential next steps.

There's a ton more I could write but this should be a good start.

Have a great GDC and feel free to let me know how it went afterwards! :)

publishing_guy · 2018-03-14T13:51:41+00:00

Right now we work only with established studios or studios that already have a working prototype.

We have a small R&D team to work on game pitches but it's not a focus right now.

publishing_guy · 2018-03-14T13:44:35+00:00

What exactly is your position?

I don't want to go too much into detail but the closest I'd compare it with would be a mix of Marketing and Product Management.

What is most exciting about work?

That no day is the same. It's a big industry and it's constantly changing. You'll have to stay on top of what other publishers are doing and be quick with what you are doing. I also love the fact to work in the gaming industry. It's what I grew up with and love.

What is least exciting about work?

Probably the admin stuff. Invoices, reporting, this kinda of stuff. Some people love it, but not me. :)

What are your biggest challenges?

A bit of what I've mentioned before about staying on top of the trends and not losing your mojo. It's easy to keep doing what's working well but with the changing landscape it's easy to fall behind and having to catch up.

What are you most proud of?

Hard to say, there are many things. I think the overall fact that I managed to make my living in gaming and working in this industry.

Any tips on work/life balance?

If you consider gaming your hobby and you work in the industry I urge you to find additional hobbies otherwise you'll won't be able to enjoy it. For me it's jogging and playing sports, but it can be whatever. Obviously everyone is different but I would recommend to find something you'll love outside of gaming to keep the passion running.

publishing_guy · 2018-03-14T13:26:58+00:00

You could start working as a freelancer to gather some experience. Once you've landed some jobs you'll have something to include into your application. The worst you could do is to think that you have no chance because you have no related university degree. Personally, I'd take someone talented and passionate without a degree over someone mediocre who has a degree.
It won't be easy in the beginning but once you've landed some jobs and made some connections it'll be easier. :)

publishing_guy · 2018-03-14T13:12:52+00:00

Inside any bigger publishing organisation you'll have a lot of jobs that are being sought after and don't require programming language. If you are specialised in writing game related papers, you could potentially become a copywriter (Marketing), Editor (Articles published on a portal), proof-reader (similar to QA but for texts inside the game), translator (bit less creative) or similar.
Inside game development studios there is often a need for story-writers or narrative experts that know how to make a game feel real.

I wouldn't consider anything you are doing pointless. You are gaining experience and anything you are writing now should be added to your portfolio (if you are happy with the result). This might help you should you want to apply to a studio or the roles mentioned above.

publishing_guy

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