Sell Social Networking to your Boss and your Publisher Adam Martin GDC 2009

Adam Martin

GDC 2009

I’m losing my voice

I speak less

words say more

why am I doing this?

two little stories

“the pitch”

you: developer

convinced by Social Gaming

go to publisher / boss

pitch

great game

social networking

huge success

rejection

:(

“the project”

game

great ideas

doesn’t work

cancelled

:(

...

what went wrong?

how can you fix it?

the pitch ...

...what happened?

expectations vs. reality reality reality

what the publisher expected

PROFIT

what the publisher heard

COSTS

DISRUPTION

you didn’t notice

what the developer heard

INNOVATION

POPULARITY

FREE MARKETING

what the publisher expected

PROFIT

you already know that one

(we’ll come back to this)

DISRUPTION

(important)

what is disruption?

(curiously apposite)

also

“disruptive innovation”

“ disruptive innovation” != “revolutionary”

revolution:

guns, explosions, etc

change

stays the same

disruption:

silence

change

wiped out

silence

“social networking”

“so what?”

problem 2:

change

change => loss

"Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering"

"Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering"

change => loss; loss => anger/fear; anger/fear => rejection rejection rejection

your game

(w/social networking)

invalidate

years of experience

change => loss; loss => anger/fear; anger/fear => rejection rejection rejection

(and the Dark Side)

a.k.a. “ Disruptive Change”

</disruption>

<profit />

net result:

pitch

a reasonable theory:

“better games are more likely to be funded”

reality:

didn’t understand

(OR:)

got scared

one thing they know:

Show me the money.

(how much more will it cost?)

(how much revenue will it bring?)

You already told them

did you tell them..?

e.g. “Why...

...better graphics? Screenshots make press-websites and magazines look better “Ooh, shiny!” Graphics sell video cards; video cards sell games

Screenshots make press-websites and magazines look better

“Ooh, shiny!”

Graphics sell video cards; video cards sell games

...more levels? Keep the consumer busy long enough for them to tell their friends “it’s good, buy it” “Scatter / shotgun!” - let a thousand flowers bloom Levels are cheap, but look expensive

Keep the consumer busy long enough for them to tell their friends “it’s good, buy it”

“Scatter / shotgun!” - let a thousand flowers bloom

Levels are cheap, but look expensive

...multiplayer? Hides bad game-design Hides weak AI People who play online, talk online = free marketing

Hides bad game-design

Hides weak AI

People who play online, talk online = free marketing

...Social Games? Um, err, well, um...

Um, err, well, um...

what went wrong?

how can you fix it?

1: “Don’t say this”

there are twenty times as many people using each social network as are using each online game

publisher thinks:

(SN users dont spend money)

(too expensive to run the ops for that many people)

(very low quality, low production value, our brand is much more high quality than that)

the future of “the internet”

publisher thinks:

(fad)

(landgrab that we won’t win)

viral marketing

(VM doesn’t work)

(you’re just gambling)

2. Do say these:

here’s a prototype

(usually...)

(...never tried)

Guns don’t kill people Bad content doesn’t cancel subscriptions “No friends” does

Bad content doesn’t cancel subscriptions

“No friends” does

Sales Teams ZT Online: $200m annual revenue; 3,000 full-time salespeople; coincidence? Your Game’s Social Network: 5m part-time salespeople

ZT Online: $200m annual revenue; 3,000 full-time salespeople; coincidence?

Your Game’s Social Network: 5m part-time salespeople

Virtual Communities, Virtual Goods Why are you only selling ONE thing to this captive audience who already likes you?

Why are you only selling ONE thing to this captive audience who already likes you?

If you don’t build it... ...the users will do it anyway. Welcome to IM, eBay, Forums, Guild sites, Wikia, GoogleMaps mashups, etc

...the users will do it anyway.

Welcome to IM, eBay, Forums, Guild sites, Wikia, GoogleMaps mashups, etc

you lose:

brand-control,

game-control,

cross-sell opportunities,

and transaction commisions

we’ll learn as we go

...and that’s OK

(and cheap)

tell them what they want to hear:

reduce cost:

e.g. “Don’t worry, be crappy”

e.g. free market research

e.g. lowered consumer expectations

reduced risk:

e.g. “soft launch”

e.g. ops costs only if we succeed

increased revenue

e.g. up-sell and cross-sell

increased customer loyalty

e.g. stick with your friends

Questions?