How to Talk to Publishers? | Falko Boecker
•Download as PPTX, PDF•
1 like•426 views
Here is a 3 sentence summary: The document provides tips for game developers to talk to publishers, including attending conferences to network, using meeting systems to schedule targeted meetings, and researching publishers before reaching out via email to introduce your game and team while providing key performance indicators and development plans. It emphasizes doing research on potential partners, tailoring your pitch, and not assuming the background of the person you're contacting.
Recommended
Recommended
More Related Content
Similar to How to Talk to Publishers? | Falko Boecker
Similar to How to Talk to Publishers? | Falko Boecker (20)
More from Jessica Tams
More from Jessica Tams (20)
Recently uploaded
Recently uploaded (20)
How to Talk to Publishers? | Falko Boecker
- 1. How To Talk To Publishers? Falko Böcker Senior Developer Relations Manager
- 2. Conferences • Attend conferences • Plan your conferences – Meetings, Talks and Networking Events • Talk to speakers after their talks • Become a speaker yourself • Participate in prizes and awards • Help out, make friends • … and use the damn matchmaking systems!
- 3. Meeting Systems • Always, always, always fill out your company description • Be clear in what you offer / looking for • Research potential partners, use filters, reach out • Take meetings that seem to make no sense - sometimes
- 4. Online Tools • Build a LinkedIn Network… • …but request with specific messages • Check out AdoptMyGame, Yunoia or similar services • Keep up to date on news
- 5. Reaching out by Email • Research • Know who you are contacting – explain why you chose to reach out • Research the market – what makes your game an attractive business case? • Follow Publisher’s preferred procedure • Provide Information • Introduce your company, attach a deck if you have one • INTRODUCE THE GAME! • If you have a build, share it – let me know what is missing • Send reminders, but don’t be pushy • Don’t be this guy…
- 6. General Information • If the game is not done, how are you going to build it? • Specific team experience - Roles on released product • Team size and cost structure • Development plan – Timeline and Costs • If you do things differently, explain why • Share “Key Performance Indicators” - KPIs
- 7. KPIs I care about • Retention – D1 / D7 / D14 / D30 • (% of returning players) • ARPDAU • Average Revenue Per Daily Active User • Pay Conversion • (% of paying players) • Download Conversion • (% of people that download after they reach the store page) • CPI • Cost Per Install
- 8. Rant at the end • NDAs are overrated and I will probably not use yours • Consider the background of the person you are talking to • Never assume “common knowledge”
- 9. Any Questions? Ask us anything! falkoboecker@flaregames.com
Editor's Notes
- Attend conferences – done! Good Job! Conferences post schedules in advance, block timeslots, don‘t miss meetings Speakers are generally open for a quick conversation after their talks and / or post their contact detail Speakers: You don‘t need to advertise your company non-stop – if you know what you talk about, it will come across Prizes: Like Indie Prize, exposure, neat rewards and sometimes booths Become someone people want to talk to, make good intros / recommendations, even if it doesn‘t help you directly. Social karma is a thing Matchmaking more on next slide
- Don‘t leave it blank, it looks bad and makes my job harder Mention what platform you are working on, the current state of the game, what you expect of a publisher Fill your calendar, make the most of it. These systems help a lot While some meetings might truly be useless, some can come around in the greatest ways
- Get a network of people you can reach out to, but don‘t just send blank invites to random people. Don‘t „follow-invite“ because you someone from your network do it Research the platforms, their costs and services and try them out. Publishers actually use these Read some industry news, you should know main market trends / the big players (how many mobile devs don‘t know tencent? 45k employees, owns / invested in supercell, riot, epic, miniclip, grindig gear, netmarble, CJ, Glu, Bluehole)
- If you try to sell me a console game, explain why, otherwise I dismiss it I don‘t mean pitch me a clone, but explain me why your game is missing from the market and why it is better than the competition (and not just by being a more complicated Clash Royal) If the website say „please use this form to submit games“, please do that, as it assures your game to go through the process correctly Seriously introduce the game. Why do people send so many emails without talking about their game? I might just not answer at all. Most publishers are ok with TestFlight, APKs, HockeyApp and many other methods. I know your game is not finished yet, but don’t be too embarrassed to show it. Tell me what you have and what is missing We forget to get back to mails with no ill intend. Send reminders, but don’t send 5 the next day. If I never answer even after several reminders, your game is probably not interesting to us „I have a game is wish to make great and get out to the masses” –I need a bit more than that. On a serious note: I don’t expect perfect English, but we need a way to communicate if we work on a game together
- The most important part: Don‘t just tell me your game is great, I have to believe that you and your team can actually build the best possible version of it (on time and budget). „We have a combined experience of 150 years in the industry and worked at companies that released games like Clash of Clans, Angry Birds and Call of Duty“ – but what did you actually do? Especially if you need funding for your game, you need to know exactly how much, what it is used for and when you will finish. Talk to experienced work-for-hire teams for feedback Nobody says you cannot break design rules, but you should be confident why. Your UI is completely unique? You re-invented character controls on mobile? Why is it better than what I am used to though? KPIs – new slide
- You don‘t NEED all of these, but know what they are and collect / share them if you run any tests Be ready to explain how these are calculated (rolling vs calendar months etc.) LTV would also be interesting if your game is in an advanced stage Remember: Numbers are not evil. There is such a thing as over-engineering on numbers, but often they reflect how much people like your game Some KPIs can be bad if others make up for that. Your complex trading card game might not be for everyone, but might gather devoted fans
- NDAs are virtually never acted upon, I will never share information I don‘t trust you with either way, I will not steal your genius game idea and they are included in contracts later anyways Manage your expectations based on who you are talking too. Someone from marketing will not be able to tell you the exact process of our producers, the same way I don‘t know every ad partner we are working with Everything included is based on several real examples of these things handled in the worst possible ways.
- No questions as this leads right into the Publisher AMA Panel