The document provides 7 reasons why game development projects often fail and advice on how to avoid these pitfalls. The 7 reasons given are: 1) having an idea that is not viable, 2) losing motivation, 3) the game not being completed, 4) the game not working properly, 5) the game not being marketed effectively and no one hearing about it, 6) getting "robbed" through bad deals or contracts, and 7) the developer's motivation declining over time. For each challenge, the document offers suggestions on how to address the issue and successfully complete the project.

1. 7 reasons you’ll fail
and how not to

2. Why?
• I have an idea!
• I don’t know if your idea is good or not
• Background
• What’s that experience worth to you?

3. Your idea sucks
• It's exactly like that great game
but 3 years late to the market
and with 1/50th of the budget
• It's so different it's crazy
and no one knows what it’s all about
• It's all about this thing that no one cares about
• It’s not marketable – cannot be explained

4. Your idea sucks
Whatever works for Blizzard
does not work for you!

5. Your idea sucks
HOW?
• Same thing but different
• What is your twist?
• I mean, explained in 10 words

6. You’ll never finish
• Typical fate of games
– One out of 10 (at best) gets released
– One out of 10 (at best) gets to break even
– One out of 10 (at best) gets to make a splash
– These we hear about a lot
• Time kills - your interest, market conditions,
funding, personal time

7. You’ll never finish
• Most of the work is boring
• The last 10% take the second 90% of the time
• Tutorials, options, icons, buttons
• Accommodate various players
• Hardware/platform support?
• Localization?
• Support?
• Patching?

8. You’ll never finish
HOW?
• Be realistic
• Plan with reserves
• Cut
• Know thyself

9. You’ll lose motivation
• You're making the best game ever
A WOW and LOL killer - at the same time!
• Fear of failure will paralyze you
• What you imagine is not how it turns out
• Your game is not yours anymore
• The novelty will wear off
• Life will happen
• You'll hate it by the end

10. You’ll lose motivation
HOW?
• You are not the game
• Make it about the process and the learning
• Learn to handle stress
• Keep the inspiration high
• Think of the long run

11. Your game will not work
• It will crash on start on any PC outside of the
office
• Tech is hard
• It's hard to find and manage tech people
That’s why many indies are developers
• Design is harder
You don't know your customer because there are 1000s
• Ostrich effect: ignore hard issues

12. Your game will not work
HOW?
• Use proven tech and pipeline
• Unless you're 100% confident you can do
something - cut it
• Can a game without this particular feature be
still good?
• If I’m given a game with and without this
feature would I see the difference?

13. No one will hear about your game
• If they don’t know about it – it does not exist
• Marketing is not something you do in the end
• Was your idea marketable? As in explainable
in 10 words?
• You'll have to become and expert in one more
field

14. No one will hear about your game
HOW?
• Start from day one
• Talk to people, ask questions, read
• Use every opportunity
• Plan time and effort (not money)
• Think of impact – talking to game developers
is not marketing

15. You’ll get robbed
• In a very elegant way – there are quite a few
The Chinese will steal it,
publishers will forget to pay
or go bankrupt
• Do you remember that sweet deal?
Now you know what they meant
• That deal that was nearly done but wasn’t?
• Withholding taxes, net revenue definitions,
sublicensing deals

16. You’ll get robbed
HOW?
• Trusted partners
• Aligned interests
• Deals that make sense for everyone
• Long term cooperation
• OPM

17. Game development is amazing
Just don’t get carried away!
Questions?