GameBanshee Forums

Hi everyone!

I may like to have a good moan about how a game has gone wrong, but not being a hypocrite - I am certain I could do better - I decided to do something about it. However, the immediate problem was financial. A problem that appears insurmountable! After discovering I cannot raise the funding to set up my own studio (I'd need at least a quarter million to get a decent demo done, and it would take at least 4 million to make a decent game), I considered trying to push a project proposal to a publisher or direct to a studio.

I'd appreciate it if anyone, by any chance, has any advice or ideas for going about doing this?

If it doesn't work, I'll stick to finally writing a novel instead!

Thanks in advance for your thoughts/time.

Kickstarter.

Reach out and find some other likeminded people - as realistically you will need a team to put anything decent together. Try contacting people who make mods hosted on sites like <X>Nexus, or even the NWNVault and present your idea to them. Get in touch with universities and colleges that run courses on game design or place adverts on their messageboards looking for collaborators.

Like GawainBS has suggested, Kickstarter is a good way to go - but to be successful you will need a fully fleshed out proposal to get anywhere close to the funds you will need and the sad truth is that all the most successful kickstarters have come from sources with a proven track record of making games.

A large part of the issue with making a game is the engine - do you build it from the ground up (costly and time consuming), do you use a freely available engine or game design software (which can cripple the commercial prospects) or do you licence an engine from a publisher? No matter how good your story is, if people don't like the framework you plan to use in order build your game - they wont support it.

If you are convinced about your story - try turning it into a module first, find the game engine/toolset that best suits what you want to achieve then make and release your module then you can get constructive criticism and generate interest. A number of modders have been hired by games developers for what they have achieved and you will find that having experience in the industry will increase your chances if you eventually go the kickstarter route.

Best of luck.

Nothing new here, just an edit to warn people who might also want start their own studio. After further consultation and research, I can definitely say, if were thinking similarly: don't. Unless you can formally afford to incorporate yourself - and most importantly - employ your own legal department, just don't.