I'm really really really considering taking out a loan and setting up Screen 7 as an independent media specialist, that would essentially create family based adventure & educational games (thanks to CJ we have the software, if he allows us ;) But of course he'll get 10%!) and hopefully expand into other areas such as film & music. The business side of things isn't too complex, games should take no more than 2-3 months to complete (afterall, people would be working 9-5, and be getting paid) - but what bothers me most is that the company would need 5 experienced induviduals. One in art, one in music, one in programming, one in design/storywriting and another in... Well, I'm not sure yet, so perhaps we'd get away with 4.
These people would ALSO need to specialise in another area, for example; (and these are names pulled at random!)
Me, music/sound, film
Miez, art, web development
Rui, story, manual/documentation creation
Gilbert Cheung, programming, jeans
That kind of thing. This way, the company could operate with many different products, adventure games, websites, book publishing etc. We would make our money by dividing our time up so as to work on a game for half the day, and our other areas for the other half (for example, miez would work on art for game x til 12.30 and then after lunch would work on web-designs clients have asked for).
I wouldn't want to start the company with any more than £10,000 - which should pay for an office space, computers & wages for the first 5 months or so, which would then mean a game would NEED to be published by that point, web designs would need to continue & other media areas would need to be expanded so as to earn more profit. We all know we won't make £10,000 from an adventure game (YET) unless its distribnuted world-wide & has a huge audience.
Of course, there will be room for development - more employes who may embark in 3D adventure games, and what not. However, the company would run a strict policy of creating games that do not focus on violence, sex or drugs.
I'm interested firstly to know if anyone of you is interested in a venture like this, and may be willing to work for Screen 7 in its initial days. If not, I will have to recruit using other means - but I'd rather work with people I know and can trust, and that I've seen exceptional work from in the past.
Let me know your thoughts :)
Gee, I wonder who could have sparked this recent surge in your interest. I couldn't have been talking to me yesterday. ::)
But that's cool and all. You may think about not opening office space at least until the first game has been selling well. This would cut down your loan, and cut down the amount you have to pay back. I would just work out of someones home for awhile, but there definitly is something to working all together, in one area, not over the internet.
Your film department might be a bigger sell to the bank in terms of generating interest from them to lend you money.
Ummm, 10000 divided by 5 people for 5 months makes 400 quid a month. Since the average cost of employing someone is double their wage, thats a monthly salary of 200 quid a month. That's not going to cover the cost of living for most of the people on the forums... and is also way below the minimum wage in the UK, which comes to about 700 a month. That's before you insurnace, rent, electricity, and count capital expenses such as computers.
First, hire an accountant who can do sums!
I think Ron Gilbert did an article on the economics of games making a while back.
You'll need to put together a decent business plan to persuade anyone to lend you money. The DTI website has a bunch of helpful stuff here, as my wife and I know from trying to put together a business plan for our own business.
Also, I think you'll be shocked at how expensive office space is. I know I was shocked at the costs for the places I looked at, admittedly this was more a warehouse thing than offices, tho.
I think it will only work on a distributed basis, to reduce costs, and paying people by work rather than hours. However, you lose a lot of control this way, and such projects are much harder to manage.
Aye, the costs are far more expensive than I thought, but it may be possible to cost cut for the first little while. Office space in this area is about £4000pa, but as you said that would easily destroy any decent wage for the employees.
I'd love to work from home, but I really have little confidence in developing a commercial game over the internet, as you mention, Scott. Plus I see no possiblity in finding a local to help me, and the last time I checked my friends were best at drinking booze, and not much more - well, apart from music - but HEY, I have that covered! :P
I'm writing my business plan still, and hope to take it to the business manager at the bank in the next couple of days. No idea what they'll say, but from what I've gathered these people prefer soul traders, plumbers and what not. But then, computer game companies all started somewhere, right? It could be a flop, it could succeed, it could initiate & it could go bankrupt. I'm willing for that to happen so long as I at least get the chance and the experience.
Scott, sorry to dissapoint - but it was the fact I have 2 weeks to get a full time job or leave home that prompted this development :P But your chat certainly inspired it. I'd be interested to read Ron's article, but times have changed - starting up now is far different to in his day. Nowadays there are hundreds of initiatives for people my age to start up a business, all you need is a solid idea & a legitimate way of executing it.
I also know a few people who might back this idea, with some money somewhere along the line - but they'd probably need a fair bit of persuading! & Scott, I think you're right about the film production side. My only concern is that the loans manager may not accept that all these different things can be done together, but then that may be our strong point - proving him wrong!
Why don't you start up the Baltimore division? ;)
m0ds, I'd love for this to succeed, though. All the best in it!
Ron's article, based on current-day economics.
http://grumpygamer.com/4904226
Also, I think you'll find that a lot of help for young people starting businesses are gone now, as they were exploited by the unscrupulous, or they only apply to certain in-very-high-demand jobs, liek plumbers anywhere near London, or to special interest groups, like ethnic minority lesbians.
Dream job?
Working with AGSers making games AND getting paid for it? Yes sir!
Unfortunately, it's gonna take some convincing before I pack up and move someplace else to do it. Like it has been said, I think the big investment should be made once the first game sells well. I'm willing to do it, if it means I won't end up under a bridge in 3 months!
Sweet! Thanks for the article Andrew, I'll have a read. & you may be persuaded, Grundislav! I'm trying to set up some initial money making schemes to cover initial employee wages, because I still don't see it possible to make a commercial game with the current resources I've got. But it may resort to that. If so, check back here in 10 years time :P
I still think the best idea, and tried and tested, is to create a game or several and sell them, and once you start making bankroll on that, then you can start to spend money. But cutting corners and cutting costs, especially at the start is key. If you weren't making a game that you didn't own the liscense to, I'd say you're on your way. But now, you'll have to finish that, and get at least street cred, and begin making original titles, sell those, and then think about moving up. I would love to start at the top, but realistically, like I said, I'm not going to hit the lottery to get that head start.
Really look into the business aspect.
And you need to figure out how to market your games. There's nothing worse than having taken out a loan, paid employees, made the game, and then not sell enough to break even. Also, be sure you have your contracts together when you employ anyone.
If you need help with filmmaking, I might be able to lend a hand in finding ways to cut corners... even so, filmmaking isn't cheap, either. Do you have local resources to rent equipment from?
Buying equipment may save you money in the long term, but it is a sizable investment. A good camera alone will cost you 1,500, with no accessories, and upwards of 3,000 with accessories. And that's on the cheap end of good cameras. That doesn't include sound equipment, which will set you back at least 700-1,000, and probably doesn't include a a good mixer, mixers cost 500+. There's also lights, which you can probably get away with cheaper. None of this includes the people to operate any of the equipment.
What film festivals are in the area? Do you know anyone decent and reliable you can get to act in your films? Most of all, you need a vision, and huge amounts of planning. Experience does count for something. What makeup artists do you know?
Just a few things to think about.
Quote from: Lordhoban on Wed 31/08/2005 03:27:16
If you need help with filmmaking, I might be able to lend a hand in finding ways to cut corners... even so, filmmaking isn't cheap, either. Do you have local resources to rent equipment from?
Buying equipment may save you money in the long term, but it is a sizable investment. A good camera alone will cost you 1,500, with no accessories, and upwards of 3,000 with accessories. And that's on the cheap end of good cameras. That doesn't include sound equipment, which will set you back at least 700-1,000, and probably doesn't include a a good mixer, mixers cost 500+. There's also lights, which you can probably get away with cheaper. None of this includes the people to operate any of the equipment.
What film festivals are in the area? Do you know anyone decent and reliable you can get to act in your films? Most of all, you need a vision, and huge amounts of planning. Experience does count for something. What makeup artists do you know?
Just a few things to think about.
El Mariachi
Wasn't the budget like, $6000 for Mariachi?
This site (http://www.nationallottery.co.uk) has a minimum subscription of £52 a year but does offer the possibility of gaining some serious capital for your venture.... :=
Ok., it's not a bad idea at all. I think a lot of us had the same idea into our minds, at least I did, and you beat me to it.
Some thoughts, though:
For a company to succed you need to offer (i) something of quality.
(ii) something original
(iii) lot's of internet trafic.
I'm not sure if there is enough audience for AGS games. Yes the games are being downloaded like 50.000 times but, well it's free.
How are you going to persuade people to buy something that they can get their hands on FREE and not only that but also the platform to work on their own projects too?
Quality: Lot of the games here are not to professional standart. Of course there are some exceptions, but generally to make a game work, with all the technology today, it would be a waste not to use (for example) high quality samples to get a great soundtrack (and you can do that with EW Gold 324.99 £, but I guess you already know that). I'm a composer and I know that I can provide music of professional standard but what about the rest? I'm not talking about me, generally speaking...
Originality: What can your office offer that cannot be found in other offices. Or rather, why choose you to design my website or anything else?
Lot's of traffic: That can be done, rather easily.
The PROS:
You have a ready audience (The AGS community) and I'm sure that if a good game comes out most of us would be willing to pay for it. And it's not the same as donation or staff. That's totally different.
And an idea:
Before starting an office and a company and all why not get the 5 people you need, built a game and try selling it to see how it goes. I bet that you can find 5 people to work with you. Rui eg. is writting all the time, I don't think that he would mind trying to write a GOOD story line. I've already provided my services as a composer for free, and you can cover this area also. Meaning, just first make the game (The Good Game) and then see what you can make of these.
About money just divide what you get (the 90%) times 5. And you're there. What if the first commercial game of AGS does not fair good. Even if you sell 100 games that's 100*20=2000£. Divided by 5 you get 400£ each. Not bad to begin with.
And another thing. Apart from internet selling, try to see if you can find a way to sell things from stores...
Sorry for the long post. A lot to say (as usuall :P)
I think you are going to find that it will be hard to loan money for wages. I think your best bet is to start out with a finsihed game to show potential investors and use the money they invest for promotion an advertising, and hopefully end up with enough buyers to gain money in the end... If you gain enough, it might be time to think about setting up offices and hiring people, but I seriously think it's the wrong end to start in, no matter how much fun it would be. I'd hate to see you drowning in debt!
You need something that kicks asses to gain a little amount of money and have free publicity. My bet is for a film, a humourous one. You are young and have a GREAT sense of humour, so you just gotta make a 80 minutes film with things that you know are going to make people laugh. Also, with that dogma rules you don't need money... just good ideas.
IDEA: Why not "AGS, the movie?" Imagine each 200 of us pay 10 € for a copy. You got you audience... Use it. Lots of absurd humour and goofy portaits of some of the members, with a final scene in mittens 2006!
I think it sounds like a fascinating idea! I'd love to offer myself as someone who can program (a bit) and write stories etc etc... I doubt I've proven myself enough in the community to inspire confidence, but I'm un-employed so: WhatEVER!
Mind you, I'd rather it was all set up in Newcastle, because that's where I want to go live (I'm in the forest of dean right now) and, indeed, given the choice of screen 7 OR newcastle, I think the city would win... simply because my Boyfriend is there :-\
Still, it sounds like a brilliant idea!!!
I will work for bed food and booze.
I'd certainly agree that as nice as it would be to start off with a proper office and so forth, it's a very risky path to take. Bearing in mind how many man-hours it takes to produce a good adventure game, it would need a lot of cash up-front in order to develop a game from scratch.
Perhaps starting off with something in your spare time as a team project with other people over the internet is the best start -- not ideal in many ways, but if you can make a success of a game, then that would be the time to make things more serious.
It might be worth having a word with the Himalaya Studios folk (ex-Tierra), if I remember correctly they dropped everything to work full-time on their commercial adventure game, and how much success it has should be a very good indicator of the market for 2D adventures.
If i were living in the area, I'd totally be in to help out. I love the business-profit-venture idea and I've tried it a couple times to no avail (my partners are always bailing on me). Business plans are key, especially for loans. I don't know how it works over there, but usually an excellent business plan can net you a considerable loan with a low interest rate. And I can't help but echo how useful it'd be to have a game first, and _then_ start a company. It's always easier to start something when you have a huge platform to jump from.
And as for helping out, I edit digital video in my spare time. If you need an editor, you can just send stuff my way and I'll edit for dirt cheap (assuming you shoot using DV; it's cheaper and faster than film and stays clean with minimal generation-loss). I can also help out with any scripts; filmmaking happens to be a hobby.
Also, as a tip, if you start up a film project, you may be able to apply for LLCship and get a business loan that way, or even talk to investors to see if they'd be interested in sponsoring you; just present a secondary business plan (including distribution) and a script and/or storyboards (and concept shots as needed).
I'd really recommend reading that article by Ron Gilbert. The risks are severe, and the cost of producing, distributing and advertising an adventure game are serious. I personally think that it's possible to build interest in adventure games as a niche/retro market, but I also think it will take time. I'd go with Chris and other people's advice---get a dedicated team together and make a commercial product. If it sells...that's something you can show to investors.
I think getting an office away from home is a step in the right direction. Sure it costs, but it benefits you in two ways:
1. Gives you motivation to produce (because of the impending rent)
2. Gives you a psychological edge by having a physical place where you only work on your games. As opposed to your home, where you eat, sleep, etc.
QuoteFor a company to succed you need to offer (i) something of quality.
Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, (ii) something original
Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, Ã, (iii) lot's of internet trafic.
I would disagree. The most important thing you need is A CUSTOMER BASE. Without that, it doesn't matter how original or high-quality your product is if you don't have anyone who wants to buy it.
As far as originality goes, that's not what publishers are looking for. They want a low-risk, cliched but proven game concept. While these games don't make enormous profits, they are stable and that's what the accountants look for.
This article about creative genius and demigod Tim Schafer will give you a good idea about the climate of game making today.
http://www.gamespy.com/articles/585/585524p1.html
The only amateur game I've ever paid for was the extended version of 5 days a stranger, and I would do it again. Twice over, even!
I can understand your longing for good office space and having your future team all together. But financially - it's quite possibly the worst route to take. It will eat up your resources, and will leave you with a loan you've already spent, and a product you still need to market and publish. That's assuming you had enough left to pay your crew enough to warrant full-time working.
I don't see that happening. We might all seem nay-sayers, but we've got a point ;)
What would be the most sound option would be to just work your damn ass off at a project - get it done or at the very least mostly done, then officialize the whole deal with investments (ya need something to show before people will take risks).
The whole indie game development niche is small. Your customer base will be based on the people on these forums and those who know of you (probably through this site/forum) and the people who know those people. Word-of-mouth.
Learn from Fatman, dude. It's not all rosey.
I think you should consider the booming casual games market. There's lots of money to be made, even in *shudder* shareware.
I'm not sure if you've heard of the new game developer's magazine The Escapist (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/), but there is a really interesting article in the latest issue that makes me want to make a go at being a small games maker.
I'll post the article here and anyone who is interested in working together to test the waters here... let's start talking.
CASUAL FORTUNES: GETTING RICH SLOWLY WITH CASUAL GAMES (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/issue/8/14)
Thank you for all the advice, which I will in turn reply to - but I'm in a very testing period at the moment and I just don't have the time to give all the feedback I'd like to.
I have figured out more costs.
The office would cost £6500 in the first year, and then £3100 per annum after that.
A game selling 1000 copies at 19.99, would earn £19,990. The cost of a game plus minimal marketting would deduct roughly £7000 from that, leaving a £12,990 profit (or, £6500 in the first year, £9970 in any following year. So three products at 19.99 with 1000 sales would make, £59,970. And then we'd be rich!!1
More to follow!
I recommend test-firing everything with simply having some bigger project. With sponsors.
At least where I live, it's quite possible to start a - let's say - some kind of game for children (ages 3-6 or so) and get easily some toy/clothing/etc companies to support whole project. Hell, if it's edcuational and acceptable game, it would even be supported by government, more specifically - Education Department. Some guys here teamed up and made a Flash(!) game which introduced kids how to act in traffic and some traffic laws. They had lots of supporting groups/sponsors, even some at more official level, such as local fire/rescue brigades and police.
So it was semi-commercial, but useful and welcome in society.
Such project could boost finances and company name really quickly, and kid games sell well, though they have less audience than other games.
I wouldn't recommend placing all bets on one card, though. Where's FOY?
Is that 19.99 pounds? Considering the exchange rate in most other countries relative to the pound, you might consider other prices. Wouldn't 20 pounds be about 40 US dollars? That's quite a lot for a game...I mean, i foolishly bought Doom 3 for 30 US dollars. That's the most I'm usually willing to spend on a in-store game.
£19.99 for a recently released game in this country is quite reasonable. PS games are usually anything up to £39.99 when they're first released. Admitedly, it probably wouldn't be easy to stick a high price on an adventure game.
Any, my tides are turning again. My dad has burnt me out of this idea (he says I will need to put a substantial amount of money into it myself before a bank would consider a loan), so I'll probably just go back to college & do video & film.
m0ds
I am very interested in working on commercial products, but not relocating to a new country. Perhaps employing overseas people on a contractual basis is something you could consider.
Quote from: m0ds on Fri 02/09/2005 19:04:24
I have figured out more costs.
The office would cost £6500 in the first year, and then £3100 per annum after that.
A game selling 1000 copies at 19.99, would earn £19,990. The cost of a game plus minimal marketting would deduct roughly £7000 from that, leaving a £12,990 profit (or, £6500 in the first year, £9970 in any following year. So three products at 19.99 with 1000 sales would make, £59,970. And then we'd be rich!!1
The thing is, you need to account for paying the wages of people working on the game. Even if you paid minimum wage that would cost almost £1000 per month per person.
But don't let us put you off. It's certainly a worthy idea and could be really successful -- but rushing into it probably wouldn't pay off. If you're serious about it but need work now, you could consider getting a boring office job for now, which would then give you time to properly work out the venture meanwhile.
I could do international relations and jet set aroud the world at the companies expense selling our fine products.
Hey M0Ds,
Reading through everyone's posts, I think all the relevant stuff has been said. But here are my thoughts as mentioned by everyone else already ;D
The company I work for now, started in a flat, so the first place you can save money is to scrap the office idea, at least for the time being (we're not working out of a flat now BTW ;))
Consider paid freelance work to start filling the company coffers - set up a seperate bank account, and do some sort of accounting records so that when you do go for a loan, the bank can see that you're serious.
Accept the fact that for the first couple of years, until things start to pick up, you will / should pay yourself the lowest possible wage so that you can invest as much as possible in the company - early days are not about ego-stroking wage packets (dotcom bust and all that).
Look at other ways to invest money in 'the company' - fulfilment (sp?) for example.
Here's an idea:
So, you're thinking of going back to uni? While at uni, you could look into the possibility of selling adevnture games either online, or to the other students (People on film courses may be more interested in the narrative and art direction of adventure games than mindless FPS shooters.)
You turn around to the developer of a competed game - Chrille, GeoffKhan etc and offer to sell their game in return for a slice of the cash. You handle the disc duplication, printed parts, packaging etc. You sell the game for £x - the developer gets half, you get the other half. You could use E-Bay to set up the shop, or you could set up your own shop with a paypal account and use that to advertise your web design skills. You could manage other freelance people, set them up with clients in return for a fee.
As they said in "Layer Cake" - the smart business man is the middle man who puts people together.
CJ is of course right - don't let us put you off. Take baby steps, have a game plan and best of luck.
While it has already been said, I think this idea would be doomed to failure. However, I think it would be doomed to mad excellent success if you would just take the obvious step of forgetting the entire "real" portion of "real venture" and just work completely on the internet. Alot of people do it. I understand the whole "motivational" thing to having an office, but wht on earth would you want to detract from your final income on the project with rent ANYWAY??? Why would you pay someone to walk into a building, sit down and write or draw or compose music for a little while and then get up and skiddle-dee-doo? Possibly, one might need to drop a deuce at some point during the day, and the much-necessary lunch break, after which may follow more dropping of deuces... Really, having a physical place to work is no big deal, and since you might be missing out entirely on some awesome opportunities to have some really good artists and musicians and writers work for you (I'm sure Anarcho and grundislav, who in my opinion have made some of the best AGS games ever) are going to up and move across the country... or, if it were me... to an entirely different country, just so they can make games in an office...
I think this idea could be 157% successful if you just got together a core group of people who wanted to seriously make games. Instead of one feeb gong into the "Help me make a friggin' game" thread and saying "Hllo I is teh r0xx0rz h3lp m3 make a gayme about a DoggE that needs 2 find fud" get a group of people together who will commit to make not one game together but to make games together until they decide it sucks or becomes very popular and they all go on to work for Sierra... IMHO, much success would be had in such a scenario... And I would definitely lend my assistance, as this is something I've always wanted to do...
Quote
I think this idea could be 157% successful if you just got together a core group of people who wanted to seriously make games.
Some five years of experience from game-creating underground forums like this one would probably make you wanna subtract some of those 157 percent. Projects are not bound to succeed just because you work with talented people who also happen to be kind and mature people, and who also happen to be your best friends. It's just not enough.
The majority of the "great" games in this community weren't made by famous alliances of the top-notch veterans, in fact they were probably not even team efforts (save from external musicians and beta-testers, etc).
Everybody with experience from team projects will vouch for how delicate and difficult it is, close to impossible.
Mods has a huge point; something more than just team-spirit and friendliness must be added to this recipee. A formality, an obligation, a commitment that makes you work even though your fingers bleed and your eyes ache, the knowledge that your next paycheck, your next meal and the shelter for tonight depend on the outcome of the project.
This venture is unlikely to succeed, sure, but if you're willing to spend enough time, money, blood sweat and tears it's at least worth a shot. And I'll always believe in Mods :)
Tell you what; after my education is finished (next christmas (in three semesters)) I'll come over to England, and I'll work with you for almost nothing for some half a year. That is if nothing unexpected happens, and if you want my help.
I just wanna finish my studies, then I'm willing to try on all kinds of crazy stuff for at least a few years.
Seriously I would be up for contribution to this, I have read a lot of the posts and agree to some extent with Esper (online could work just fine in early days).
I remember me and Miez discussing something like this at Brittens. Plan out the game idea all online, meet for a week in some rented building ro even someone's garage / house and just make the game. Obviously if there where people who live relitvley close together it would make things easier as working solo and meeting up on the occasion.
Quote from: esper on Sun 04/09/2005 12:01:08
"Hllo I is teh r0xx0rz h3lp m3 make a gayme about a DoggE that needs 2 find fud"
Please, never type that again.
On a brighter note, or maybe not, I will attest to how delicate a team game can be. Especially if you aren't on the same page. But with the right team leader, and the right vision, and enough people to back it up, it can be a rewarding experience. I had a game project a couple years or so back, and it started out headlong... but I saw it crumble and slip through my fingers until I was left with only two people over a disagreement of opinion (and the fact that some people will always be loners and have a hard time being led). And that eventually faded further, since the programmers we might have had left in the first wave. You need a team leader that can make the tough calls and the rest of the team needs to follow it and believe in that leader.
On the other hand, I managed to get a low budget feature film production together and shot, with a crew of 2 and a half (including me), and 18+ speaking roles. The two people I paid were the two very people that made it possible to finish principle photography on time. It's all about the right people. And it all starts with a great concept/story that's as fleshed out as possible. Don't start with a company, start with a great story, and let the company form to make that story a reality. Once that happens, and you have established yourself, then you can branch out.
Without the right leadership, you end up like the Romero company (the guy who worked on Doom, I think the company was called Ion Storm). He put together a bunch of people. But out of those, only one project was any good (Deus Ex). Every other one was lousy and a failure. From what I hear, the cockiness of Romero was his undoing. He let everyone have free reign, nothing was focused, and only by the sheer talent of one of his people did they produce a good product at all. But even doing everything right is difficult. Look at BlackIsle Studios (Fallout 1/2, Balder's Gate 1/2, Planescape: Torment). They had a puppet master that were their undoing by the name of Interplay. Be careful who you put in charge of you and your creations.
Well, I would say go for it once you have your businessplan set and once you consult it with someone knowledgeable in area of financial market and accounting.
I can be considered "proffesional gamemaker" but my field are mobile games where the market is quite different.
I started as a freelance graphics artist working for bigger companies. It is my hobby and relaxation after my real life job. I was charging them around 500 Euros per project. Nice enough money considering it was just few hours in the evening and it mostly didn't take more than a month to finish.
But then I teamed up with a programmer and in two people we made three games and right now we are in process to get the best deal on publishing them. It looks good since these are above average products. I did design and GFX in my free time and cooperated with my programmer over the internet. Now we decided to sell one game at a flat rate and go for profit share on other two. This week we are going to cash cca 6000,- Euros for our first piece (and even now we know it's too little) and we will see how our other games will do on tne market. We are expecting to cash multiple times more (hopefully - but projected sales indicate that it is likely to happen).
If it happens, we will probably rent an office and progammer will work on games full time. And if our expectations are right and if I can get more tallented people together, I'm going to drop my boring office job completely and live on my hobby :)
Someone said it earlier, and I agree. A film production company is a bigger chance of getting the cash rolling than gaming. Now, not that this isn't the future, it has been mentioned as the biggest new entertainment business ever, and people are making a buckload of money on electronic fun, but to establish your company, I still think you should focus on simply being a production company and make films. No advertising company shoots their own work. You can always expand the company to include other things later on.