Should I find a Publisher?

[vitinho444]

Hey guys!!

I've been working on a new project for the past month, and it started (as every project we create) as the most ambitious project I've ever dreamed of creating, and it's (as every project we create) slowly fading away. But nonetheless it's growing a lot and I know I can deliver.

So, after this introduction, I'm already thinking on the long run. In my country I see this "indie companies" getting funded by "Venture Capitalist Companies" with thousands and thousands and deliver zero, deliver pure SH*T (sorry my rage, but I'm so full of it, you won't believe their budgets for games that would take someone a couple of youtube videos to create, and took them 2 freaking years). So I see them getting all the money, and here I am, doing it for fun and as a hobby. I'm fine by that, but once you see people doing less than you and getting payed for it ofc you get angry right?

So, I'm planning to create a crowdfunding campaign for 120€/$ on INDIEGOGO when I have a playable demo (soon) so I can pay for steam greenlight. And I'm asking you guys if you think I should get a publisher.
From what I know, a publisher helps you "spam" all the media with the news of your game, like the campaign, like the greenlight and all that, so that's good press, and that's the only reason I see them as a good bet, also they could probably pay the 120€ right? But on the down side, they certainly want a sales %, and I will probably put it at 2.99-4.99 price range (since I'm not a dushbag, and I know that my game is not worth 20$ or higher) and I think I would make a very small % of all sales, after taxes, steam and paying the publisher.

What would you do? You think I can get media attention by myself? What should I do?

Thanks

[hallsofvallhalla]

A publisher or investor is INCREDIBLY hard to get and I would guess 90% of the ones you think are getting all this money are really not. The other 10% are producing something for else for them. For instance I once knew a game built in Realm Crafter that came on the boards and claimed they received $120k to build a demo in RC. Many people said no way and argued with him and he continued to say how easy it was to get an investor and they were many that believed him and wanted to jump on his team and even give him free models and stuff. Well one day someone posted an article about him on how his "media company" was being sued.

Basically they paid him to write an app for their company and NOT a game. He used the money and time to try to make a demo for RC and get funding and it was crap. He was sued to pay it back. Haven't heard from him in years. Nearly ever game I have ever seen get an investor or even a publisher are games that are already released and doing well.

Question is why do you need the money to build an indie game? What is the money REALLY for? To code an indie game and buy assets for it is very cheap. Build it, make it popular, then find the money. Trust me it is the only way it works. No one buys ideas. NO ONE.

[vitinho444]

Wow didn't know that, but I assure you they are receiving.

The best case I know, I had an internship on one of those companies, I stayed 2 week only because the amount of rage I had about them was just to big to handle. They started the company 2 years ago, NO PRODUCTS, literally fresh start, and they found an investor. By my calculations which are really just the tip of the iceberg, they are 10 members full time, each receiving 1000€/month (normal wage for IT areas in Portugal, and I 99.9999999999999% DOUBT they are receiving it, I bet they receive upwards of 1500€), for 24 months is 240.000€. All they did was a game which you just click on the screen (monsters) to kill them. I don't want to sound like a douche bag, but I know I could make that game in like 1 month (working like 2h per day maximum). So by those calculations, they received at least 240.000€ as an investment, because I was there and I had access to their databases and ad-revenue per month was 10€, yes, 10€. So they are not doing that as an hobby, the money is coming!

And that's why I think it will be pretty easy to find an Investor/Publisher.

Now, the "WHY". Personally, I don't need the money, per say. I'm building with only free stuff i find on the internet, or things I create myself (most of them I did myself), but I wanted to get some media attention to what I'm creating / I can do, and get some revenue if possible. Bottom line, I want what's mine for right. If they are getting thousands of dollars/euros by doing complete cr*p I want IN too.

Other detail I missed, I was only going to present it to investors/publishers once I had something fully playable game and players to actually play and all that. So the indiegogo campaign would come very first. Even If I didn't get the 100€ I asked on the campaign ( which I never saw such small value asked) I would still get some players and attention to the game.

So that's basically it, you still think I shouldn't?

PS: Just so you get the whole Portugal Game Dev Industry situation, Microsoft (YES, MICROSOFT) helps a lot this people, they are in direct contact, they get free stuff, they get shared by them, etc etc..