[casual_games] Meet Publishers & Distributors AND Protect my IP ? ... and other questions!

[Pedro Honório Silva]

Hi Eric! Not being a "authority" in the matter, I'll share with you my
personal experience from the last Casuality in Amsterdam. It might help you
at some point!

1- Should I make them sign and NDA before the meeting? How does that work
usually?
Definitely not. As many people stated before me, there's no need. At this
point you should concentrate on pitching the game and nothing else. When I
went to Amsterdam (It was my first contact with almost everyone in the
industry), I knew no one and I had no guarantee whatsoever that my IP was
safe. But I felt that we were on a professional environment and I really
felt that I should trust people. After all, Publishers/Distributors just
wouldn't hire someone to steal people's ideas. What would they have to gain
with that?

2- Any good NDA template for that type of meeting?
Again, if you sign any NDA, most likely it will be the ones that the
Publishers/Developers will make you sign, so I wouldn't worry about that! ;)
But if you check the link that James Terry provided, you'll probably find
one. If you really want one, email me and I'll be glad to provide you one
sample.

3- How do you usually prepare for those meetings? (15 minutes game elevator
pitch) 
Well, first of all, you REALLY have to know EXACTLY what the unique selling
points of your games are. And you should focus on that. Then you just have
to explain to P/D what your game is all about. You'll probably have some
very good meetings and some others not so good. But that's life. You have to
expect that some people might not find your game amusing at all. But that's
business. As Jeremy pointed out, it's not personal. 
One other thing you may want to do is to investigate every
publisher's/distributor's portfolio and client preferences before the
conference. Therefore, you'll know with at some extent who might be more
interested in your game(s). 
But they will always be nice convos. Everyone I talked to is very cool! ;)

4- What do publishers and distributors want to know during those meetings?
I guess that Jeremy pretty much answered to your question. To me, what they
want to see is a game that their customers will buy like crazy. And believe
me, the people you will talk to really know their customers. :P

5- Any dos and donts?
Be yourself and just explain them why your game is simply the best thing
ever invented after the wheel! =) 
And don't stress out if you get a no. It will happen... a lot! ;) 
Focus on the people who say yes! 

Summing up, after my experience at Amsterdam and at GDC in SF, what I really
feel that the most important thing in these events are is the feedback you
get on your game. I've incorporated many of the feedback I got on our games
because some of that feedback was really valid and cunning. Many people made
me see things from a different angle and you gotta like that! :D
Define your strategy before you go in there and stick to it, but be flexible
enough to adjust it if you need. The people you will meet are awesome and
very friendly, so just be casual! ^^

Pedro Honório Silva
Chief Financial Officer

Ignite Games
Rua Cova da Moura, nº 2 - 2º Dto.
1350-117 Lisboa, Portugal
T: +351 212 427 695 - M: +351 933 465 985
pedro.silva at ignite-games.com
www.ignite-games.com

-----Original Message-----
From: casual_games-bounces at igda.org [mailto:casual_games-bounces at igda.org]
On Behalf Of Eric Trudel
Sent: quinta-feira, 7 de Junho de 2007 14:31
To: Casual_Games at igda.org
Subject: [casual_games] Meet Publishers & Distributors AND Protect my IP ?
... and other questions!

I plan to go to the casual connect meeting in Seattle next month. 

I plan to meet publishers and distributors and pitch our working prototype.
But I want to keep my IP and not be scared that I will be shoved off and my
game idea stolen and beaten to the market by some publisher with a lot of
cash and no ethics. 

My questions are to other fellow developers: 

1- Should I make them sign and NDA before the meeting? How does that work
usually?
2- Any good NDA template for that type of meeting?
3- How do you usually prepare for those meetings? (15 minutes game elevator
pitch) 
4- What do publishers and distributors want to know during those meetings?
5- Any dos and donts?

Thanks a lot for your input. 


Eric

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