Building a Solid Foundation for a Game

Startup

Slides: www.slideshare.net/VGVisionary

The valuable lessons I’ve learned from running a game startup in Finland

Quick Disclaimer

Nothing in this talk is new, but we just don’t talk about it often

enough!

Question

Are you prepared to run a game startup?

Answer:

Ask yourself Don’s questions: http://gdcvault.com/play/1022021/Going-Indie-10-Questions-to

Table of contents

• Who is this dude?

• The lessons I really really hope you won’t have to learn the hard way after this talk (or at least you will be able to fix them faster when you stumble over them).

• The road ahead for any game startup

• Summary

• Questions

Who am I?This is a talk by

Vlad MicuFormer Head of Studio at

Critical Force Entertainment

Used to be the PR Manager of

Get Social

Did production, game design and creative direction for

arkavis Siam co. ltd. in Thailand

Wrote for many other international outlets includingGamesauce.org, TechInAsia.com,

PocketGamer.biz, Control Magazine, Gamer.nl, XBLAFans.com, Casual

Connect Magazine and many more.

Currently

Consulting

@vgvisionary

Partners & Clients

Proud Backer of Kung Fury Coming May 28th 2015

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTidn2dBYbY

My personal lessons & mistakes

• Agreements & Responsibilities

• Adversity & the Reality of Running a business

• Constant Growth and getting Outside Perspective

• Learning to take the punches

A Culture without Shame helps

And a tight-knit community based on mutual trust is quite nice as

well.

The Right People & Responsibilities

“You know in a startup, you only need three people. You need someone who can make

something. You need someone who can sell it. And you need someone to collect the money.

That’s the only three roles in a startup. So which one are you?”

– Guy Kawasaki

Different Attitude & Vocabulary

• Sustainable traction – who’s ever used that word?

• Cash flow positive– or this one?

• Share holders agreement

• Business plan!?

• Go-to-market strategy?

• Product/Market fit

Recommended by @derkdegeus

REALLY have Everything Written Down

• Meetings, e-mails & contracts

• Try docontract.com for contracts!

• Use team communication platform Slack!

• Get your licenses straight: https://tldrlegal.com/

Find a good lawyer and have 15.000+ dollars budget for legal set aside (for 2-3

years)Watch Dmitri Dubograev’s talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXL79-rmvjw

Don’t Wait with Agreements!

Be a dick and demand it. Clauses can always be changed and/or waived later if

needed.www.SeriesSeed.fi

Contracts are Designed for Assholes

Chris Natsuume’s talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0UL_QOho6g&list=PLEoI6ST6os509lBweWPn67UYaMrMDSOLS&index=4

Never Stop Learning

https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=CBYhVcO4WgI

Learn with Comic Relief

And squeeze in some Work/Life balance in there while you’re at it!

Find Veterans & Advisors

Let them give you much needed perspective

Pitch all the Time, Everywhere

• Know who you are and who you aren’t

• Know what the other person wants and doesn’t have

• Use that to disarm your opponent and put him/her in the defensive

• Make yourself rare/scarce

Learn from Eminem!

http://techcrunch.com/2014/01/18/how-to-get-an-mba-from-eminem/

Embrace Competition

“A wise man can learn more from his enemies than a fool from his friends”

A Support System Really Helps

Colleagues

Mentors & PeersTherapist

FriendsA FUCKTON of books

Don’t let Misfortune Define You

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2013/07/02/magazine/evermans-

war.html?referrer

The #1 Skill is still Resilience

The Fins have ‘Sisu’ (perseverance)

Some Examples from Finland

Summary• Get your agreements straight!

• Embrace adversity & the reality of running a Business.

• Get both legal & outside perspective.

• Keep taking those punches, you’ll get there!

• Most importantly: Talk with each other about failure, entrust each othe with those stories. Foster your community of peers!

Bonus tip: watch my other lectures

www.youtube.com/vgvisionary

Contact me

• @vgvisionary

• Mail me at v.micu@vgvisionary.com

• Slides: www.slideshare.net/VGVisionary

#imlonely

Thanks!

Questions?

Let’s talk more outside!