Access
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Documents about Access
Game Developers Conference30 min
How to Make and Self-Publish a Game in 12 Months
Achieving a successful game launch within a twelve-month window requires a disciplined approach to project management, characterized by rigorous scheduling and the willingness to excise non-essential features to preserve core development timelines.
- Achieve a 12-month development cycle by strictly prioritizing core features and cutting non-essential elements to maintain the project schedule.
- Mitigate technical and financial risks by utilizing familiar technology stacks and vetting contractors exclusively through established professional networks.
- Maintain high-quality art production with limited internal resources by outsourcing tasks to trusted former colleagues.
Game Developers ConferenceJan 2017
PocketGamer.biz8 min
Biz Daily: Why Undead Labs shut down Moonrise before it launched
The cancellation of the creature-based RPG Moonrise by Seattle-based developer Undead Labs highlights the challenges of the modern mobile games-as-a-service model.
- Undead Labs cancelled the creature-based RPG Moonrise because it failed to meet essential 1-day, 7-day, and 30-day player retention benchmarks during its eight-month soft launch.
- The project was deemed commercially unsustainable because the developer could not achieve the monetization levels required to offset the high ongoing infrastructure and operational costs of a live-service model.
- Publisher Kabam shifted its strategic focus away from original intellectual property, prioritizing high-revenue branded content like Marvel-themed titles instead.
PocketGamer.bizSep 2015
PocketGamer.biz83 min
Mike Bithell on strategies for indie success
Independent developers achieve long-term sustainability by prioritizing unique, non-clonable experiences over chasing fleeting market trends.
- Prioritize unique, non-clonable game experiences over chasing market trends to ensure long-term studio sustainability.
- Maintain lean business structures by capping headcount to preserve agility and using rapid prototyping, such as game jams, to test core mechanics.
- Utilize platforms like Early Access to integrate player feedback throughout the production cycle, which aligns the final product with audience expectations and extends the game's lifecycle.
PocketGamer.bizAug 2015
Extra Credits5 min
Early Access - The Problem with Unfinished Games - Extra Credits
Early access programs on platforms like Steam offer a double-edged sword for the gaming industry.
- Early access programs lack standardized quality control and consumer protections, creating a marketplace where abandoned or unfinished products damage the reputation of digital distribution platforms like Steam.
- Early adopters often experience burnout during the development cycle, leading to fragmented player communities and a lack of critical mass for multiplayer titles at the time of official launch.
- Initial impressions formed during the bare-bones early access phase often permanently anchor public perception, as many players fail to return to re-evaluate the title after its final release.
Extra CreditsJul 2014