Your Game is None of Your Business

Randall RobbinsChapter VPIGDA-Austin

INTRODUCTION

“Every Game Developer deserves to be successful”

Intro :: Background

Intro :: Why We’re Here

•About Austin Game Dev• Austin, TX – One of the capitals of Indy Game Development

• Large Game Development Community

• Talented Game Developers and Artists making great games

Intro :: Why We’re Here

• Issue• Not as much understanding of how to go from

“Game” to “Sellable Product”

• Scope of Issue• Not just an Austin issue

… it’s a Global issue

Intro :: Why We’re Here

•New way of thinking• Mindset: Making a game is like starting a startup

• Need different tools, strategies, and tactics for Business

• The game might be the product, but YOU are the business

“Your game is none of your business”

Contents

• Solution• Lean Canvas• Strategy • Experiments

• Next Steps

• Q&A

SOLUTION

Navigating without a Map

• Talented game dev pours heart and soul into game“Everyone will love it”“Should do well”

• Sends social blast out to everyone• Releases on Steam or App Store

… results are less than ideal

What If

• Knew the game filled a need for players?• Found and got feedback from early adopters?• Grew presence during development?• Knew how many units to sell to cover costs?• Used metrics to gauge traction before launch?

“Every Game Developer deserves to be successful”

BUSINESS PLAN

Business / Lean / MVP Canvas

Business Model CanvasAlex Osterwalder

MVP CanvasAmy Jo Kim

Lean CanvasAsh Maurya

Lean Canvas

Ash Maurya

Case Study Blue-Volcano “Roto Color Runners”

Lean Canvas ::CustomerTarget buyers / players• Who needs your game?

Ideal Personas / Early Adopters• Demographics• Willing to play

unfinished game, get builds; give feedback

Lean Canvas ::ProblemWhat problems / key assumptions are you trying to solve?• “No good [X] games on

[Y] platform.”

Existing Alternatives• Analogs: What games

are people currently buying to fill need?

Lean Canvas ::Unique Value Proposition [UVP]Why is your game• Different or

Worth buying?• Solving a problem over

other alternatives?

Finished Story Benefit

• What + How + Why

Lean Canvas ::SolutionThis is your game

Start with “Pitch Doc”• Book: Game Design

[2nd Edition]Bob Bates

Get validation before beginning development

“Game Design” [2nd Edition] – Bob Bates

Lean Canvas ::ChannelsInbound & Outbound• How are you positioning

your game in the market?

Channel Cost / Benefit

• Which generates the most TRACTION?

• Which provides the most VALUE?

Lean Canvas ::Cost StructureMoney Going Out

List your Fixed Costs• Rent, Bills, Utilities,

Hosting Fees

List your Variable Costs• Software, Hardware,

Conferences, Business Cards

Lean Canvas ::Revenue StructureMoney Coming In

List Sources of Revenue• Game Purchases• Add-Ons, Expansions,

Micro-transactions• Merchandise• YouTube / Twitch

Lean Canvas ::Key MetricsYour metrics that matter

Dave McClure’sPirate Metrics• Acquisition• Activation• Retention• Referral• Revenue

Lean Canvas ::Key MetricsYour metrics that matter

Dave McClure’sPirate Metrics• Acquisition• Activation• Retention• Referral• Revenue

Lean Canvas ::Unfair AdvantageWhat aspects of your game cannot be easily replicated or copied?

Why should customers believe in you?• Expert Game Dev?• History of releases?

Roto Color Runners

Navigating without a Map

• Talented game dev nearly completes game in isolation

• Shows game to family and friends• Gets very little Action-Oriented feedback• Still has to do a lot of rework

• Finishes game and releases on Steam or App Store… results are less than ideal

What If

• Validated game idea before development?• Knew the game was worth playing based on feedback

before the game was finished?• Had quantifiable evidence of traction?• Sold copies of the game before release?• Confident going into launch?

“Every Game Developer deserves to be successful”

STRATEGY

Strategy

Strategy

3 Phases of Game Creation• Idea :: Game :: Product

Questions• Do I have a Game worth creating?• Do I have a Game that resonates with a sufficient market?• Do I have a Product that is sellable and can meet Financial Goal?

Strategy

1st Step: Determine Initial Overall MSC for Product• MSC = Minimum Success Criteria

Example• Initial Overall MSC for Product is to reach $100K in sales in 1 year• Plan is to sell game for $10 on Steam• Need to sell 10,000 copies of game within a year

Strategy

2nd Step: Break down MSC across each Business Phase

Sales Trials Outreach

Product 10K 100K 1M

Game 1K 10K 100K

Idea 100 1K 10K

Strategy

3rd Step: Determine Strategy & MSC for each Phase• Strategy will be different for each phase: Idea | Game | Product• Goal is to test and validate your Strategy• Important to LEARN if you ARE or are NOT on the right path

Strategy Plan ::BackgroundHigh Level• What led you here?• What are you trying to

accomplish?• Why?

Strategy Plan ::Current ConditionRegarding Business• What phase is your

game currently in?

• Quantitative Stats:• Sales / Pre-Orders• Mail Sign-Ups• Early Adopters

Strategy Plan ::AnalysisAssumptions holding you and your game back• Wrong target players?• Not enough retention /

referrals?

How does your game stack up to other games?

Root Cause Analysis

Strategy Plan ::GoalSpecific to Current Phase• What is the Specific

Measurable Outcome?• How long will this

Strategy be tested?

Example: 1000 Trials in 4 Months

Strategy Plan ::ImplementationOutline for achieving goal• How are you going to

get feedback and reach valuable milestones?

Determine plan for • What you will build• Who you will reach• What you will learn and

how it will be measured

Strategy Plan ::Follow-On PlansIf this Strategy works, then What Comes Next?

What makes the most sense for your game and business?• Expand Market?• Add Revenue Streams?

Roto Color Runners

Roto Color Runners

Navigating without a Map

• Talented game dev doesn’t test the product• How many people playing the game• How long people play before dropping out• How many people pre-purchasing the game

• Sounds out social blast and releases on Steam or App Store… results are less than ideal

What If

• Knew – based on qualitative and quantitative results

• Right target audience and early adopters?• Best channels for exposing game to market?• Correct pricing for game?• Game was ready to sell?• Exactly what to do next?

“Every Game Developer deserves to be successful”

EXPERIMENTS

Experiments

Experiments

Lean Canvas & Strategy Sheet are Tools

USE the Tools by running Experiments• Go out: Validate your assumptions • Prove Right or Wrong• Eliminate Wasteful Development

Experiments

Run 1-2 Week Experiments• Address the Following Questions• Are we targeting the right people?• Does our game provide enough unique value?• Is the price we’re asking for too little?• Does our game address a significant enough need?• Are we using the right channels?

Experiment Report ::BackgroundHigh-level goal: Should relate to strategy

What are we going to test, and Why?

Experiment Report ::Falsifiable HypothesesFormulaSpecific action will drive expected measurable outcome in determined amount of time

What is the guess? • By doing X, Y should

happen in Z time

Experiment Report ::DetailsWhat will you build?

How do you intend to measure the output?

What resources will you need to run the test?

Experiment Report ::ResultsSummaryDocument your results:• Was the outcome

expected or unexpected?

• What was the ACTUAL outcome of the Specific Action?

Experiment Report ::Validated LearningWhat did you learn?

Interpret the results: • Didn’t get what you

anticipated? Why?• What is the impact?

Learning is THE KEY part of running experiments

Experiment Report ::Next Action

What experiment makes the most sense to run after this?

Roto Color Runners

Experiments :: Moving Through Phases

After running experiments through strategy period:

• Did you hit strategy goals? Why or why not?

• Do you have enough to move onto next phase?• Yes: New strategy for new phase• No: New strategy with new goal meant to get to next business

development phase

NEXT STEPS

What If

• Business Plan• Found and got feedback from early adopters?• Knew how many units to sell to cover costs?

• Strategy• Validated game idea before development?

• Experiments• Best channels for exposing game to market?• Exactly what to do next?

Take Action!

•Create Initial Canvas

•Create Initial Strategy

• Start Forming and Running Experiments

“Every Game Developer …

WILL be successful”

THANK YOU!

Q&ARandall Robbins, CAPM, CSM

• rrobbins@greyvulture.com

• www.greyvulture.com

• @grey_vulture