Talk overview

• My background• Ways I tried to start• Bootstrapping - Zen of Sudoku• Building and selling your casual game• The next phase

Definitions

• Core - “hardcore” games• Casual - “games for everyone”• Portal – Web site that sells games• Bootstrapping – Building yourself• Ichthyology - Scientific study of fishes

Painted frogfishAntennarius pictus

Caveats

• This is just my experience• Talk proposal 6 months ago• I'm not saying this is the best way

– ...and I'm not sure I would do this again– Knowledge is power

• Casual getting more competitive• Read the IGDA Casual Games whitepaper

– http://www.igda.org/casual

Myself

• Charlie Cleveland– Game Director, Unknown Worlds

Entertainment (founded 2001)– San Francisco start-up with roots in core– Two full-time founders, 5-10 distributed

collaborators– Our goal: unite the world through play

Natural Selection

• Wanted to make real-time strategy/first-person shooter hybrid– Marines vs. Aliens online team game

• Released as “total conversion” on Half-life engine in 2002– Distributed team of 10, 18 months to v1.0– 65,000 lines of C++– Budget = $30,000 U.S.

• Played for 1.5+ billion player-minutes• Plan to build IP and establish reputation• Money will come somehow

Natural Selection

Play movie

What went right?

• Built good IP• Learned how to make online RTS/FPS• Learned how to hire and run a distributed

team• Player donations ($22k/year)

What didn't

• Pretty much everything after release• Supported game for years instead of

figuring out how to grow business• Thought it would be easy to:

– Get investors– Hire team– Make a game– Make $

Starting through investment

• First thing I tried, thought it was slam-dunk• Takes about a minimum of six months• Hard to convince• Most expensive way to get $• Investors never say “no”

Things not to say to investors

• “Our team is mostly college kids in other time zones”

• “Why would I want to sell the company?”• “Profit isn't our goal – we want to unite the

world.”

Bootstrapping through contracting

• Gearbox, Demiurge, etc. did it• Need a team• Good business development• Other people's projects• Can pigeon-hole you• Got one game deal: 39% metacritic

Realization

“If you don't get what you want, it is a sure sign that you did not seriously want it.”

- Rudyard Kipling

Making games

• Our talent/passion is making our own games– ...not pitching– ...business plans– ...working on other boring games– ...convincing others to let you

Bootstrapping

"Our main business is not to see what lies dimly at a distance but to do what lies clearly at hand."

Thomas Carlyle (1795 – 1881)• Most game companies of yesteryear were

able to bootstrap - casual approximates yesteryear

• You won't need team, contacts, much business development

• Not just for “trivial” or “small” companies

Sony's vision

• In 1945 Japan:– “To establish a place of work where

engineers can feel the joy of technological innovation, be aware of their mission to society, and work to their heart's content.”

– “To apply advanced technology to the life of the general public.”

– “To pursue dynamic activities in technology and production for the reconstruction of Japan and the elevation of the nation's culture.”

First product

Rice cooker

Bootstrapping Rule #1:Cash flow, not profit

• Cash flow– Aim for short development cycle– Short payment terms (45 days)– Recurring revenue– Piggy-back on product/service with large

install base if possible– Retail takes too long

Profit

• Profit – good, but cash flow better– Building audience– Market share– Branding– Infrastructure– Contract negotiation

Bootstrapping Rule #2:Don't plan, do

• Doors open and close, business models shift, opportunities come and go

• Can't predict success• You have nothing to lose• Games (should be) small and quick• So start building

Zen of Sudoku

• Designed to be the most accessible Sudoku

• Relaxing – no game timer, no game end

• Teaches you all aspects of game

• Print and play unlimited puzzles

Zen of Sudoku demo

Show movie

Zen of Sudoku resources

• 22,000 lines of C++• Used the Popcap framework• 10 months development (design/code)

– Started selling beta after 5 months• Part-time artist (5 hours/week)• Part-time musician (20 hours total)• Part-time sound fx (15 hours total• Talent free or paid on back-end

Zen Distribution

• Demoed to distributors at Casuality 2006• Since have signed

– Steam– Oberon– Shockwave– Garage Games– Retail (Best Buy Target, Walmart, CompUSA)

Zen sales data

Aug 06

Sep 06

Oct 06

Nov 06

Dec 06

Jan 07

Feb 07

Mar 07

Apr 07

May 07

Jun 07

Jul 07

Aug 07

Sep 07

Oct 07

Nov 07

Dec 07

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000

Monthly cash flow

RetailPortalszenofsudoku.com

Actual Projected ?

What went right?• Cash flow• Backup plan

– Next game will be better• Some happy customers• Great @ Sudoku• Closer to my Dad

What didn't

• Not that much cash flow• Sudoku theme• Money slower than expected• Development longer than expected• Audience factors out of your control

– Your game may not sell depending on other games you can't plan on

Design parameters

• Most important decision you will make• Familiar, but with a twist• Include “progress” elements• Theme• Accessibility - mouse buttons, keyboard• Software rendering

Choosing a project

Technology

• Popcap engine is great– Free– Simple (36,000 lines C++)– Software rendering support– Good community support– User-interface code tedious– Portals used to it– Requires BASS license of ~$200– Windows/download only– http://developer.popcap.com

Flash/Zinc

• Flash/Zinc very promising– Development time down to ~3 months– For games without a lot of action/redraw– Probably still need to program– Free Mac/Flash versions– Flash Pro 8 + Zinc = $1,000– http://www.multidmedia.com/

Build options

• Make sure it's easy to build versions for portals– Different intro/logo screens– Make easy to remove external URLs

Distribution

• Main approaches– Shop game to every portal yourself– Shop game to portal who will then shop for

you– Sell game/IP outright– License source for re-branding

• Don't take exclusive distribution deals• More the better• ~25-50% royalties + ad revenue

Distribution methods

• Easy to get deals!• Casuality

– Next one is July 17th-19th in Seattle– http://www.casualconnect.org/

• Minna Mingle• Sending game via e-mail works too

What have you achieved?

• Your own company and IP• QA process• Customers!• A team that can work together• Valuable game knowledge• Cash flow...solvency?• Possibility of a hit

Now what?

• Make a sequel, or a new casual game– You know the technology, process, workflow– You understand casual much better– You have contacts, partners– You can negotiate better royalties– Mac, palm, iPod...but real work

Natural Selection 2

• Making Natural Selection 2 on Half-life 2 engine

• For digital distribution on Steam• Will probably come back to “casual” in

some form• The lessons learned are applicable to

“core” games (pacing, attention, learning curve, theme)

Takeaway

• Not sure if this is a success story or not– I bet my 2nd casual game would sell 2x and be

done in 4-6 months• Keep development time down

– Less chance of competitors clogging up distro– Less time to cash flow– Use Flash

• Take bigger risk

More takeaway

• It's not just about money– Ability to design fun game with constraints– Assembled a team and learned to run it– Intellectual property– Business development experience

• Once you can do something small at very high quality, you can scale it up

Questions?

• Please fill out your evaluation forms• charlie@unknownworlds.com• Presentation will be available at:

http://www.unknownworlds.com/blog• ...and good luck!

Appendix• IGDA Casual Games white paper (2006)• Art of the Start – Guy Kawasaki• The Bootstrapper's Bible – Seth Godin• Bootstrapping in the age of blockbuster budgets – Al Reed, GDC

2006• Built to Last – James Collins, Jerry Porras• Micro-ISV – Bob Walsh• Blue Ocean Strategy – W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne• Angel Financing – Gerald A. Benjamin + Joel B. Margulis• The Experience Economy – B. Pine and James Gilmore