Selling A Game

If I were to sell a RPG fantasy to (for example) EA, around how much money would they buy it from me?

haha, good luck.

Thanks. Ya, I know I'll most likely end up with a smaller company.

You'll most likely never get close to finishing the game.

There is no answer to the question.

*IF* you ever finished the game..
*IF* a publisher was interested..
*IF* they made you an offer that involved cash up front..
it might be anything from 10 cents to 10 million. But I'd bet on the former more than the latter.

Well, the way things are going around here (all most no new community news and talk of how no one attempts to create RPGs anymore) makes me think I am one of the most enthusiastic Blitz3D users. Just watch, I'll finish it ;)

Great. I don't think anyone doubted your enthusiasm, that's apparent from the first post. Unfortunately, every other person who was going to write a full length fantasy RPG and sell it to EA was enthusiastic too before they failed/gave up/binned it/rewrote it in the eighth different language in a year because all the previous languages were holding them back/etc..

So you'll have to excuse my scepticism. I am quite certain that someone will do it one day though. I may even be alive to see it.

:^) It's true!

Don't Give up, Bubble Boy,

It takes time to write a fantasy RPG. I'm in my third year writing one of my own. Also, I'm working on a C++ .dll to handle much of the core elements of a RPG, so that all a programmer will have to do is the storyline, plus a few special game-related effects for the game.

Thanks Amanda. Are you going to sell your game when you finish it?

A one man team (assumption) would have pretty much have zero chance of EA buying the rights to their game. A talented team would also have pretty much zero chance of EA buying the rights to their game.

Even in the remote chance that EA were interested in your title, they'd offer as little as they could get away with.

In a nutsell, its not viable taking anything to EA (or most uber publishing companies). They just would not be interested.

If your RPG fantasy is really amazing, your best bet would be to go through one of the many online game portals. If you know internet marketing, then sell it yourself on your own site.

yeah one RPG that's a one *wo*man team (well maybe there's a few more people involved) is doing really well right now on Big Fish Games.

Thanks for the info Qube and Grey Alien.

I am interested in EA only because I know an independent developer who (I don't know how) sold a game to EA.

The two reasons I do not want to go with online game portals are:

1.It limits my file download size.

2.It seems to me that online game portal games don't sell as well as store bought games.

I really don't want to market my own game because I don't want to deal with lawsuits and that great stuff.

So I think I'm stuck with selling my game to another company

unfortunately, Gabriel is probably right... i mean i hate to say it, but most games that get started here never get finished...

don't get me wrong... i'm not trying to dissuade you or anything... but stop for a second... look in the mirror... bright eyed, enthusiastic... take a picture of yourself now, and keep it near your pcs while you go through the different phases of bringing your worlds next greatest game to fruition...

2 months from now when the newness of the idea has worn off... look to that picture for inspiration...

10 months from now, when nothing seems to be going right, and Blitz is refusing to help you make this baby go gold... look at that picture...

a year and a half from now... pull out a gun and shoot yourself in the head... and spare yourself any further suffering... the kind that me, and a few others around here have gone through...

but just n case you survive all this... either through sheer grit and determination, or from what ever magic spells and potions you keep hidden from the rest of us... and do manage to finish your game in Blitz... then the real fun begins...

for you have audaciously summoned the gods... and tugged on their coat tails... and the gods may exact a severe wrath upon you if you do not humor them...

so, take a look now at what EA is getting ready to put on the storeshelves for the upcoming holiday madness...

does your game come close to looking like any of them... does it play reasonably close to the way they do...

if after all this, you can say yes... then the gods may see fit to grant you a moments fame and glory... for you will have succeeded in not only completing the superhuman task all by yourself, but you've also convinced and kissed up to enough suits and serfs to convince the gods at EA that you are indeed worthy of their beneficence...

and your game will appear on storeshelves all over the world... and in gaming mags and on web sites everywhere...

and you shall be rich and you shall be famous...

and i shall admire you...

and i shall envy you... for the rest of your days...

... which, by the way, will probably be shorter than the time it took you to make the game... because... like i've heard it said time and time again...

... all fame is fleeting.

:)

hey, good luck man... don't pay any attention to nuthin i just said... i'm just tired and babbling...

go make dat game!!!



--Mike

Well then, lets just hope I finish it before a year and a half goes by... ;)

As much as I hate to, I do agree with Red, (And gabe, but I dont mind agreeing with him).

If it was my intention to finish a game of the quality that EA would need, I would need to be being paid to finish it. That is, I wouldnt wait 'till it was finsihed, I would at as early a stage as possible approach a publisher, and try to sell them on the idea/program at that point.

If I had any sort of reputation within the industry, I would probably try this withonly a game concept, before I had even touched a keyboard.

Great Idea H&K! I'll consider it.

If you have no reputation in the industry they won't listen to a game concept AT ALL. There was a post a month back or so dicussing this. You'd need a fully working demo all polished to send them so they could a) say No b) say No and rip off your idea c) say Yes and pay you peanuts and take away your IP.

lol... I thought I can only read threads like this on GameDev...

Before I send them a demo I'll make sure they don't rip my idea. I will make a contract.

Goodness, I had no idea what I was getting my self into when I decided I wanted to make a video game and sell it.

What's your contract gonna be like?
(c) Cicero

Something like this:

I you rip my game ideas, any media or any thing else related to this game, I will sue you...

...If you agree to honoring my rules and not to do any of the dreadful things above, please sign here_______________


:) There's a rough draft for ya.

Oh, with such a contract, you ought to get at least 10 viet dongs for your game.

I'm sorry but I don't take your meaning.

By the way, your game Wondering Knights looks neat.

Few people do.

@Grey,



I did think that, but wasnt sure, which is why I was vague. In my opinion, if you just send a game concept unless as you said you a Mike Singleton, it is simply a CV. Which doesnt preclude it as an idea, but isnt what BB wanted

How does the old saying go? Ideas are like A***holes...

No publisher will care about your game concepts when they've got approximately six billion ideas of their own.

Ah yes, but I wasnt specificaly saying sell the idea to a game publisher, but simply someone who might produce your game. For example Local education establishments. Game discs on local/National papers that sort of publisher.

Who if you appraoch them with an idea might look at it, at least more than EA would.

(Make your Car sim really "petty" about driving offences, and sell it to the local DVLA etc)

Im sure those Maggie the gardener games could be sold to a FundHolding School/LEA

My original reason for asking (the question at the top) was to find out how much other producers sell they games for. E. G. how much Pandemic sold Battle Front 2 to Lucas Arts for.

..bubble Boy..first jump and then say HOPP !! :) no offense buddy..

Valve has been publishing indie games over Steam. That is more likely than getting EA to publish it, still a pretty long shot.

Mmmhmm, though Valve scares me:)