PaRappa the Rapper

"Stay Small and Keep It All": Making a Big Splash in Boutique Game Development

Michael Thornton Wyman, founder and CEO of Big Splash Games and creator of the Chocolatier casual game series, discusses the tradeoffs of running a boutique studio after careers at Electronic Arts, Maxis, and Lucas Learning.

• Boutique studios gain creative freedom and room to take risks, but sacrifice the financial cushion and exposure that large publishers like Electronic Arts provide.
• Small studios depend on a uniformly highly capable team with little tolerance for weak performers, and mistakes carry much greater consequences for survival.
• Small-team user testing is typically informal and hands-on, often conducted in home settings with testers playing without guidance, unlike the more formalized testing at larger companies.