Panel: What does Business Development mean in Games

you okay so we've got 20 minutes to do a panel which is a first for me so if you've got any questions put your hands up but I'm going to run through some questions and hopefully we'll have a few time for a few of your questions as well so firstly this is about business development can you both tell me what your role is what your company does and how it relates to business development okay hello I'm jihad from my pixel I do business development obviously plus we were a small company so we I handle project management and creative direction my pixel refresh company and we do puzzle games we focus on building

brand more than building just quick games fast generating money games good morning everyone I'm Mohammed also for co-founder of play Arabi I am my title as game hunter and that's mean I am the one who goes and find the products for our company and build the relations with partners identifying the new markets or the new targets that we want a wish to achieve and that is in my opinion is business development so what you've answered my next question already what do you think business development is for us it starts with gathering insights gathering information trends news even utilize these into the next one Plus finding the right tools farting building connection and most importantly crafting a pitch when

pitching this game to developers or publishers it doesn't end up like here taking the feedback working on the feedback making connection all over the way so I mean business development can seem quite soft and woolly certainly as I do a lot of business development and always have my friends always think that I just travel around the world having a great time how do you actually measure success how do you track what success is how do you measure that what's your criteria okay we first need to identify I will keep your eyes what are we aiming to do with this so we can measure if we reach that target or not for example if this is your first game you need to focus more on building an audience maybe testing the water building a fan base and have clear targets oh my kids I get don't do it say sure I just want to have

good explore it's a exposure you need to know an estimate of numbers I need this game to be to reach 15k downloads and measure your KPIs up to this so I think this is very crucial in having realistic and measurable targets in your work I am kind of the opposite of jihad because for me it's building relations and contacts takes time it doesn't matter if I'm talking with some developer firm small company I will give him the same attention if I'm talking from someone done really really want to talk to like a bigger company because this person could be in two years the one I need in another bigger company so it's a relation to build if we can cooperate on today's project I think as developers they always have a next project and that's why I always say like what I did

in the last nine years say I'd rather to stay as a good friend at a bad partner so relations relation contacts you'll never know how that ends just be friendly with everyone so I'm kind of going on the emotional he's going like he uses brains I use my heart even if you no heart mind whatever you know how important are the personal relationships and you know how how important is it to be to be building out over a long period of time a very fundamental actually you can never get anywhere without good connections this is a view in this point you can have good numbers you can have great feedback but if you don't have the right connections you're gonna stay on the store yeah it's it's crucial our work that you have the right channels keep them open be clear be honest in your connections with with

publishers with customers with partners and investors yeah true I mean again from my own experience you know you're talking to a lot of different people you're balancing a lot of different plates how do you track it all how do you manage your pipeline how do you make sure you don't forget the million things that you have to do I write it down I didn't figure anything else I like even every and after big events I write a report okay I tell my partner that's for you but actually that for me for my record so I know what I'm doing after that I have some friends with telling oh they they use all these business cards and make it sheets with it it could be a good idea but I think I have at least one big boat each year from business cards so to which I will throw probably

a lot of people change their companies very fast or the positions so sheets are not really something that I would use but LinkedIn it's okay because it's more or less updated I think yes the and a good memory the Goodyear good already some excel sheets do the job see deep debate of you how did you get into business development like you know personally me I started as a programmer and then I accidentally ended up running a business and accidentally ended up doing business development which was a shock how about you was it something you always intended I started as a vet but I always been an artist mr. painter to the animation creative direction marketing branding and one thing led to another and suddenly I'm I'm doing games but I

think it's the creative field is is inter interacting over each other I was what and yeah nowadays called a game producer and web games time and some day came my ex CEO on he told me I am and since you talk five languages we have an event you should go so that's how it started he didn't tell me and start that the like I was based in Germany and the event is in South Korea I found out later much later but it's look for me I am someone who ok talk a lot sometimes nonsense Oh before that I would like to thank our translator for the hard work doing in the last two days translating then the nonsense that we say and mostly the bad English that we have at least what I have so and yes that's from a business development or this contact contacting talking to people it's kind

of sometimes very stressful but it's fun especially after the official talks which remind me to say that keep in mind guys that most of the deals will be done not in the meetings it's after that and in having coffee tea or beer or whatever you prefer you will reach more deals than just sitting in a meeting room okay you see Kim pre-empting all of my questions so the next question so what is the best way that's all that is business development so how do you what is the best way to communicate social media emails Flyers meetings you what do you find the most effective way to start a business deal and to build it I wish we have conferences like this every day we will need anything else but whenever there's no gathering or conferences you can

start with emailing trying to have a meeting presenting pitching and the most the most crucial one the most beneficial one is gathering face to face meeting so actually if you cannot do that try to find someone who can introduce you it's much better what but I think that never you should never should do is write these bulk emails with high and then blah blah blah blah blah blah blah because like whenever I read an email saying hi hello without my name I will not delete it but I will stay though like because it means he don't talk to me personally he talking to another 20 person and I'm one of them or much worse the emails with CC so you know who is also contacting try to get terms only don't and in the first email first contact don't make it long keep in mind as a lot of people have like 100 how

many emails you have daily enjoyed 200 300 so you don't have time and that's not only him that's a lot of people so not everyone have enough time to read long text try to make it short and to the point who you are what do you want and if you like to talk with someone always suggest a time don't tell me how I would like to talk to you do you have time don't let the people think too much do you have time next Tuesday 5 p.m. if it's not you soon suggest something so that will will make people at least react much than saying something that do you have time sure definitely just let's do that Shia had started work in gaming industry before I finished the school

so that's in 1919 to 1982 yeah prehistory so before the dinosaurs was before the dinosaurs yeah Julia so something that really works well is in your initial communication all the things that you said we're totally spot-on but to add to that if you can make it slightly personalized and you can only get that through researching the person and understanding them so for example if you're trying to contact someone who's quite influential if you've watched all the YouTube videos if you've read all their articles if you understand their position in the industry and one of your initial points in a very short email is something along the lines of I really enjoyed this point you made in X Y Z that person

immediately marks themselves out as somebody who is not going to waste your time and immediately grabs attention because now you've put the recipient on the back foot so I would get something like that one out of a thousand emails and I would go oh my god what did I say you know I don't remember so now I'm on the defensive I feel open and a little bit vulnerable but also impressed and that's the state of mind you really want to encourage and if you can do that and then offer something yeah so if you if you would like a meeting and you understand how busy this person is and you offer them three options and give them your preferred option and it's always up the recipients convenience that's going to be great especially if you say I'm not going to take more than half an hour of your time I'm not necessarily going to pitch you anything I would like to know where you're standing at the moment in relation to this business doing absolution and follow-up straight to the point I guess this makes a huge difference

so reputation is everything and as you said you know making think personal and you know how do you build a reputation how important is it to be you and for people to know you as a person as well as the company you represent okay the first thing is to be honest be realistic don't say I can do that and you can't do that your team is not able to be do that rise a flag the early stage is not later don't give promises you can't make especially on deadlines it's it's much I think in my opinion that to whoever another end of that email or another that the equation will appreciate your honesty more than given them that you're the VSA and all everything then and hit the fan I'll second jihad okay any

questions from the audience so I've got two minutes yes can we get a microphone thank you hello I want to ask you like from your experience as browser as a product like management when do you cut off the resources of a project like when when should I know when a project is failing and I should start I think that the question was for the previous session you mean to cut a project if you think it's failing well if you F if the feedback is on the core is in the core of the game and fixing that with change pretty much most of the core game I think this is well this will be assigned first of all really all the amount of a get the feedback that you get this twice or three times feet

around the feedback means that there's a huge problem with the concept itself thank you any other questions a case so my last question then just to wrap up is you know for people here you know a lot of people including me got into the industry because we wants to make games and we realized at some point that if we're running a business or with freelance we have to do business development what would your tip be for somebody who's in that position who hasn't really done this before but wants to learn and get start out doing business don't be shy but don't nag we all starting somewhere and most of the people understand that even the seniors my opinion gaming industry one of them friendly is most friendly I cannot swim but friendly environment friendly business especially Towers nd developers so make use of that

go on ask us questions but keep in mind that you you have to limit the that the other person have a limited time so make it short have a contact with them don't be shy go always and ask ask your friends who knows others to introduce you be active but you have to know when to stop like if you're sending three emails nobody answer no need for the fourth for me I would stress more on the presentation the pitch itself give it your heart and soul tell them what they are in it for you be very clear and very straightforward give them numbers imagine yourself and they'll choose what they want to hear from you must be honest I want to add whatever I said that's only my personal opinion based on what I did or how I did there is definitely other ways to do it

successfully and it's varies from mentality to others I mean all what I said probably in far Asia will be a nonsense because they do it more firm or in u.s. Malaysia I don't know but the just to make it clear that there is that our ways to do it definitely I mean one way could be to always wear a top hat so everybody always remembers who you are right thank you very much saying thank you [Applause]