Is Working With a Publisher Worth it?
summary
Publisher deals trade money and distribution for participation in IP and control, with concrete outcomes not promises: expect funding for ramping teams, platform certification help, PR and analytics access, and dedicated publisher staff (Sega Searchlight runs a 9–10 person team and assigns ~7 people plus studio services), a case study is Two Point Hospital which led to acquisition and Two Point Campus, target projects sit around two to three years development and £/~$5 million budgets, bring a playable prototype and negotiate with counsel to keep your IP and protect cashflow.
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chapters (14)
- 0:00Introduction
- 3:52Why this talk
- 5:14Publishing changes over time
- 8:47Publisher types and strategies
- 11:58Concerns about publishers
- 16:55Alternatives to publishers
- 22:09Publisher benefits
- 26:06What makes publishing worth it
- 29:16How to avoid an unhappy publishing relationship
- 36:16Sega Searchlight’s approach
- 39:26Q&A: When to approach publisher
- 40:50Q&A: Pitch elements
- 41:50Q&A: Games as a service
- 43:39Q&A: Project size and timeline
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