[casual_games] RE: Business models

[Lennard Feddersen]

That was worth saying.

The big down turns in the traditional game publishing business have come 
when the money got stupid, we (or people who looked and acted like us 
with different hairstyles and funny pants) and the consumer just wasn't 
having a good time anymore.  Roll out the ET 2600 story here.

Have a good time for your $20 bucks today and you may feel compelled to 
do it again.  OTOH, if you feel like you got ripped off when you bought 
a casual market game then you aren't likely to do so again, or you may 
feel justified in pirating your next game.  I like what Wade said the 
other day about us not all being competitors, I believe he can be 
right.  I'm happy when PopCap puts out a casual market game - especially 
if it doesn't look like my next labor of love -  that somebody spends 
their hard earned sheckels on, has a good time and feels like spending 
again in our little market sector.  It's good business for all of us.

My 2 cents,

Lennard Feddersen
CEO, Rusty Axe Games, Inc.
www.RustyAxe.com

Lennard at RustyAxe.com
P. 250-635-7623 F. 1-309-422-2466
3521 Dogwood, Terrace, BC, Canada, V8G-4Y7



James Gwertzman wrote:

> I think it's worth pointing out that PopCap follows a very different  
> model. We focus on quality and innovation over quantity, and we  
> believe this model works for us. We probably create 5-10 prototypes  
> that we throw away for every one game that we decide to actually take  
> all the way through production. And for those games that we do ship,  
> we spent an obsessive amount of time really making them as perfect as  
> we can -- not just polishing graphics and sounds, but really  
> obsessing over the core gameplay. We believe that ultimately the last  
> 10% of quality is the difference between a decent game and a runaway  
> hit --- and that hitting that level of quality isn't cheap! Our games  
> typically take over a year to create these days, and most of that  
> time is polishing a game-mechanic which is running and fun after just  
> a few months of work.
>
> Naturally this doesn't mean that every game of ours is a hit, but at  
> least we've given each game the best shot.
>
> There are lots of other business models in this industry that can  
> work, but I do want to say a word about two business models in  
> particular that I think are attractive on the surface but that don't  
> lead to ultimate success. The first is the "I'm going to clone this  
> other best-selling game, but do it with different art" and the second  
> is the "I'm going to make lots and lots of really cheap games and see  
> what sticks".
>
> The first model is not entirely without merit - art students used to  
> learn their craft by copying paintings by the old masters, and  
> there's a lot you can learn copying someone else's game. But  
> ultimately the most successful games are original or innovative in  
> some way. Furthermore, brands are very valuable in this market, and  
> the only way to really build a brand is to original or unique in some  
> way. At least that's my take. You can make money in the short term  
> cloning other games, but we think long-term value comes from doing  
> original work.
>
> The second model may have worked for a time, back when this industry  
> was brand new and consumers were eager for anything they could  
> download, but that model's time is past I think. Competition is high  
> enough now (and getting higher!) that I think games need to have a  
> certain amount of polish and quality to them to be competitive. That  
> doesn't mean they have to be ridiculously expensive -- we're still  
> orders of magnitude cheaper than traditional "hard-core" games  
> because in a 'try and buy" market the emphasis is still on great game- 
> play, not flashy graphics -- but development times should still be on  
> the orders of months, not weeks.
> -------------------------------------------------
> James Gwertzman
> Director of Business Development
> PopCap Games
> 206-256-4210 (w)
>
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