Game Development Studios needed

ok. I'll give the short form to you:

unless you have some serious cash ready to be spent... nobody will do it... and if you had serious cash to spend, you wouldn't be asking this question. So, basically.. it boils down to: nobody will do it.

Want to know more? Use the search tool or wait for Tom Slope to link his stuff

ok. I'll give the short form to you:

unless you have some serious cash ready to be spent... nobody will do it... and if you had serious cash to spend, you wouldn't be asking this question. So, basically.. it boils down to: nobody will do it.

Want to know more? Use the search tool or wait for Tom Slope to link his stuff

Thanks for replying, but I was aiming for another kind of answer. Assume that I can raise serious cash for a moment, can you recomend good game development studios that will work on full game, provided screenplay and storyboard. Also I dont think anyone will tell his amount of money while truing to hire GD studio...right?

I doubt many people here, if anyone, has experience in hiring a studio to implement a big game concept (like an RPG), because it's quite a large and expensive endevor!

I've been on the other side - working at a studio who is being approached by a client who wants a quote on their game idea. This process is quite involved, so it requires the studio to have a lot of trust in the client's ability to actually produce the cash in the end. We would draw some draft designs and plans from their concepts, which are used to make a draft schedule, budget and milestones, which the client then haggles about... And/or accepts and "greenlights" the project, signing all the legal contracts agreeing to certain payments vein made in exchange for each of the milestones.

For any kind of game that's comparable to the average console game that you find on a shelf, you'd be looking at around $1-10M...

That all said, I work with an outsourcing group who specialize in putting together game teams, either for small parts of games or whole projects... But as with any studio, the right amount of money has to be there ;)

I doubt many people here, if anyone, has experience in hiring a studio to implement a big game concept (like an RPG), because it's quite a large and expensive endevor!

I've been on the other side - working at a studio who is being approached by a client who wants a quote on their game idea. This process is quite involved, so it requires the studio to have a lot of trust in the client's ability to actually produce the cash in the end. We would draw some draft designs and plans from their concepts, which are used to make a draft schedule, budget and milestones, which the client then haggles about... And/or accepts and "greenlights" the project, signing all the legal contracts agreeing to certain payments vein made in exchange for each of the milestones.

For any kind of game that's comparable to the average console game that you find on a shelf, you'd be looking at around $1-10M...

That all said, I work with an outsourcing group who specialize in putting together game teams, either for small parts of games or whole projects... But as with any studio, the right amount of money has to be there ;)

Thank you for your answer Hodgman, as for expirience I absolutely have none, so any answer here is very valuable to me , however one thing keeps troubling me, looking thru projects on kickstarter, many of them seems to match format of my own idea, and yet their development goal is set for apx. $50k, (I am particulalry talking about this guys: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/522716131/legends-of-dawn/posts they already have one title behind them). Is it because they are complete team already, if it is so, wouldnt be possible to hire a studio for lets say +25%, $70K (or less even)?

thanks.

looking thru projects on kickstarter, many of them seems to match format of my own idea, and yet their development goal is set for apx. $50k, (I am particulalry talking about this guys: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/522716131/legends-of-dawn/posts they already have one title behind them). Is it because they are complete team already, if it is so, wouldnt be possible to hire a studio for lets say +25%, $70K (or less even)?

Look at the reasons they give for asking for your kick-starter money:

It's important for us to stay independent since we would like to maintain full control over the game and have freedom to continue to develop the world in a way we think is the best.
Our funds dried up just before our last two steps needed to be able to self-release the game:

1. We need to purchase and integrate VOs
2. We have to pay for a few plug-in licences that we integrated in our Dreamatrix Engine

We've allowed ourselves max 2 months for completing the game and we're confident that we can deliver a complete product by that date.

So: they've only got two months of work left on the project, they've been self-funded so far, and they're independent, which means that their staff are likely working "for free" at the moment (being an owner of the studio will be their pay-cheque). Also, they only want the $25K to pay their voice-acting bill and a few small licensing fees.
This is a typical "kick-finisher" project

Then look at their stretch goals, for if they go over their requested $25K:

$80,000 -- Mod Tools

If the Kickstarter campaign reaches $80,000 we will take our in-house rpg ready tool to the next level and open it to the community. You will be able to create your own worlds and share them with the community.
$150,000 -- Multiplayer
Should we hit $150,000, we'll be able to offer multiplayer after the main release of the game.
... For multiplayer we anticipate additional 4 months of work

So 80-25 == $55k to polish their development tools enough for public release, and 150-80 == $70k to add multiplayer over 4 months, at $17.5k per month.

Dreamatrix is an independent ship with crew of 8 full timers (and a number of freelancers)

I would guess this means that there are 8 people who are currently not being paid a wage at all, but are shared owners in the company, and a small number of contractors to perform jobs they can't do themselves (like the voice acting that they want money for).

In a normal situation, salaries are going to be one of your biggest expenses. The average game developer salary is $80K a year -- so that $17.5K a month is enough to pay ~3 people's wages.
Under normal circumstances, you'd want over $50K per month to hire a team like theirs, and you'd need to hire them for at least a year to produce a game.

Then, a large/AAA console game, like Skyrim, etc, will have a team that is 10x bigger than their team (so 10x more expensive).

Thanks Hodgman you have been most helpfull.

can anyone recomend me good game development studios that will work on full game, provided screenplay and storyboard.

How to do it (how I do it):

1. Analyze the marketplace and identify existing games that are similar in genre, platform, and scope to your project.

2. Collect information on the developers of those games. Determine which ones are not owned by a publisher or platform holder and are likely to be unconstrained from working with you. Obtain contact information (especially telephone).

3. Prepare a RFP, what I call a bid package. I described what goes into that in my chapter on Production in the book Introduction To Game Development.

4. Start telephoning. Tell'em why you're calling (without going into detail about your game) and ask if they're available and interested. Several of the parties are likely to express unwillingness for a variety of reasons. Be polite and cross them off and keep calling others.

5. When someone expresses willingness to hear more, send him an NDA. When the NDA is signed, send the RFP.

6. When someone asks who else is bidding, I usually prefer not to divulge that information.

7. When you get the proposals back, look at not only the price but the other details as well. Are there hidden costs, is their schedule realistic, are their people right... sometimes a developer will propose using their A team, then when you get underway you have their B team.

So it's not a simple matter of "hey guys, give me some names." You have to do the same thing I would do -- your homework.

can anyone recomend me good game development studios that will work on full game, provided screenplay and storyboard.

How to do it (how I do it):

1. Analyze the marketplace and identify existing games that are similar in genre, platform, and scope to your project.

2. Collect information on the developers of those games. Determine which ones are not owned by a publisher or platform holder and are likely to be unconstrained from working with you. Obtain contact information (especially telephone).

3. Prepare a RFP, what I call a bid package. I described what goes into that in my chapter on Production in the book Introduction To Game Development.

4. Start telephoning. Tell'em why you're calling (without going into detail about your game) and ask if they're available and interested. Several of the parties are likely to express unwillingness for a variety of reasons. Be polite and cross them off and keep calling others.

5. When someone expresses willingness to hear more, send him an NDA. When the NDA is signed, send the RFP.

6. When someone asks who else is bidding, I usually prefer not to divulge that information.

7. When you get the proposals back, look at not only the price but the other details as well. Are there hidden costs, is their schedule realistic, are their people right... sometimes a developer will propose using their A team, then when you get underway you have their B team.

So it's not a simple matter of "hey guys, give me some names." You have to do the same thing I would do -- your homework.

Thanks Tom. as I said I have zero expirience so it is really nice to see such elaborated plan. I'll get right on it.

Best of luck and all, but I think you'll find that you're in a classic catch-22 situation.

If you follow Tom's plan, which is about as good a plan as you're going to get this side of being independently-wealthy, you're going to reach a point where even the "interested" studios are going to ask, point-blank, how much money you have secured for funding this venture -- not "might have" if your Kickstarter is successful, but *have* -- as in, now. Since even the process of seriously scoping such an endeavor is time-consuming and costly for them, they have to be relatively certain that you can afford their services if they're able to put together an agreeable package for you -- Game development is not really a business where the players are in the habit of giving out free quotes to anyone who comes calling -- this isn't car repair or carpet installation.

On the Kickstarter side of the coin, it would be dishonest of you to claim that you have anyone lined up to do the work, and you've already admitted to not being able to do it yourself. Its perfectly fine to run a Kickstarter and say that the money will be used to hire a studio, but that doesn't strike me as the sort of thing that will inspire the confidence necessary to make your campaign successful. Especially since there will be no backup plan if you're unable to secure a studio with whatever funds you've raised.

If hiring a team is your only angle, then Tom's outline is as good as it gets for you. However, if you really want your game to see the light of day, then my recommendation would be to figure out a way to keep moving on your own, or with volunteers. As Hodgeman pointed out, many of those teams you see succeeding with small, targeted Kickstarter campaigns today are small, volunteer teams that have been working for months or years without external funding, and usually for a share of the studio/profits rather than any kind of salary. Try to pick up skills and recruit a team of volunteers that can take your idea to the next level. Unless you're a big name, the success of a given Kickstarter campaign almost always directly correlated to how much progress (or past success) you can demonstrate.

If you follow Tom's plan, which is about as good a plan as you're going to get this side of being independently-wealthy, you're going to reach a point where even the "interested" studios are going to ask, point-blank, how much money you have secured for funding this venture

This is exactly what happened, but since I haven't done anything like this before I assumed it wasn't standard procedure, so finaly I posted this tread to compare with more expirienced developers in this matter.

On the Kickstarter side of the coin, it would be dishonest of you to claim that you have anyone lined up to do the work, and you've already admitted to not being able to do it yourself. Its perfectly fine to run a Kickstarter and say that the money will be used to hire a studio, but that doesn't strike me as the sort of thing that will inspire the confidence necessary to make your campaign successful. Especially since there will be no backup plan if you're unable to secure a studio with whatever funds you've raised.

I wasn't going to promise anything until I was sure that I will find anyone to do the job. Acctually this was my plan: to contact some studio, elaborate in detail type of game, ask them to do some kind of financial construction, use that financial construction and add 25%(it is always something that I can't see), ask studio if it is acceptable, if answer is positive start the project. So no dishonesty here only the idea for game will decide if funding will be raised. However, I entirely agree with what you said, if I go other way around and try to start campain claiming that I will hire the studio, that will leave space for suspicion of completition the project. And that brought me to the first point that you also have mentioned, studios ask for your budget even before they saw your project.It is kind of loop.

If hiring a team is your only angle, then Tom's outline is as good as it gets for you. However, if you really want your game to see the light of day, then my recommendation would be to figure out a way to keep moving on your own, or with volunteers. As Hodgeman pointed out, many of those teams you see succeeding with small, targeted Kickstarter campaigns today are small, volunteer teams that have been working for months or years without external funding, and usually for a share of the studio/profits rather than any kind of salary. Try to pick up skills and recruit a team of volunteers that can take your idea to the next level. Unless you're a big name, the success of a given Kickstarter campaign almost always directly correlated to how much progress (or past success) you can demonstrate.

When we started, we started as team of volunteers with mutual agreement that even there is possibility of financial failute, game must see the light of day. However somethimes will and wisdom aren't enough. I havent decided wich course of action I will take but if game ever manage to see the light of day, I can promise you that I will write

detailed manuel of how it was done.

Thank you for your thoughts, it was very encouraging to see that I wasn't wrong in everything.

I doubt many people here, if anyone, has experience in hiring a studio to implement a big game concept (like an RPG), because it's quite a large and expensive endevor!

I do.

That said, I don't believe Kickstarter allows you to fund a project in an attempt to hire a contractor in this way.

If I were you, I'd start by double checking Kickstarter modalities.

Also, wouldn't it be better to have direct creative input on the game rather than issue an SOW to a potential vendor?

That said, I don't believe Kickstarter allows you to fund a project in an attempt to hire a contractor in this way.

I didn't know this, I'll check it right away.

Also, wouldn't it be better to have direct creative input on the game rather than issue an SOW to a potential vendor?

It would be best, however I am running out of ideas.

Thank you for your input.

EDIT:

You were right, i quote:

"Kickstarter cannot be used to fund software projects not run by the developers themselves."

So it is down to this:

Follow steps: 1-7 Tom wrote, and hope that you are excessively lucky, or continue with development at all costs.

Thanks you helped a lot.

Follow steps: 1-7 Tom wrote, and hope that you are excessively lucky, or continue with development at all costs.

Be careful about step 7. You'll need a lot more than just sheer luck. Possibly, the majority of the people that will bid for this project (if any) will try to turn up a profit on their end by any means possible, by cutting quality, etc. You'll need to check into their track record (if any). Don't blindly trust them with the results. And you'll still need the money too!

Good luck.