Hi,
I've been working on a game for the past few years and I completed it to the point where I'm starting to think about the next steps in getting it out there. Obviously this would involve creating some sort of legal entity for the business, running a crowd funding campaign, hiring people and renting server space to host the service, but while I'm confident about the product itself, I have 0 business experience and can't quite put together what steps I need to take in what order next for this game to take off.
The specifics of the game: It is a PC chess variant that with some work could be ported to Mac and mobile. The finishing touches I can't do myself and therefore need the funds from crowdfunding to complete are upgrading the graphics, some serious playtesting and adding the features that involve real money transactions.
I'm currently in Hungary, but would be happy to establish whatever legal entity is the most practical in pretty much any part of the world for the best conditions.
I'm looking for any advice on how to proceed from here.
Thank you,
zoliking
I wrote a game, looking for advice on next steps
Because you have very little business experience, I would suggest establishing a company in your home country. You will need someone to take care of bookeeping and maybe assistance with the paperwork needed, so it would benefit to have someone close that you could actually go meet.
I don't know the details in Hungary, but I assume you too have an entity that will provide legal support in case of lawsuits etc. That provides the most security, but if the risk of being sued is close to 0, it may be more beneficial to have a flow-through company in which the funds flow directly through the entity and into your pockets. That will be cheaper tax wise, but provide you no protection in case of lawsuits.
You will need to find an accountant, most likely, that can help you set up the paperwork, do your bookkeeping and accounting, and other than that it shouldn't be too hard. Just remember to file all necessary paperwork each year (different from country to country).
Once you have the legal entity, you could set up crowdfunding etc. (or you could set up crowdfunding for you personally, and use those funds to establish the company as well).
Also, keep in mind that after you have spent the funds needed to produce the game, you will likely need 3 times that amount for marketing purposes if it is going to be a success. There are exceptions, but I would assume you would need that much.
I totally agree with Andy on this one. But another thing you could do is try to find people who wouldn't mind working for free initially. Surprisingly there are lots of people who'd like to be there when a project comes to life regardless of initial profit. Unfortunately, whether you'll get enough from crowdfunding is still a question, so it's better to save whatever you can and reinvest it. Additionally, you could meet amazing enthusiastic people along the way. Although, to be clear, usually those people in the roots become somewhat of a co-owner. So just, think this over and determine what you can actually propose and what is not acceptable for you. Make sure you make your intentions clear when looking for someone on forums or startup job websites. And, of course, be fair to those people when your game gets the spotlight ?
@Vanessa09 said:
@AndyPett Hello Andy,
I can help you in next step of your game. we have 7+years of experience in game development and design.
please share your details on Vanessa@cisinlabs.com
Hey… Was this originally meant for the thread starter? ?
We do have a game we're working on ourselves, but I didn't mention it in the post - that's why I ask. ?
AndyPett said:
Hey… Was this originally meant for the thread starter?
I'm sure it was. Her post was deleted because offers of business services for pay are not permitted on our website, and offers of services are not permitted in discussion forums like this one.
