How to contact game developing companies
Hey guys.
So I understand how strange it must sound, but I have got an idea for what has potential to be a commercially successful game, and I am wondering how/if/where/to whom/in what format I could submit my idea for consideration by professional developers?
Has anyone ever submitted a game idea to a company?
Love you.
So I understand how strange it must sound, but I have got an idea for what has potential to be a commercially successful game, and I am wondering how/if/where/to whom/in what format I could submit my idea for consideration by professional developers?
Has anyone ever submitted a game idea to a company?
Love you.
Comments
If you are a sole developer with an idea of a large game (like on modern consoles), but without good amount of previous work in the industry, and without lots of money to go indie, there are like zero changes to get it going even if you write a full design document with sketches and stuff.
Go to their website and contact them. I submitted a few and got responses back each time. They may use your idea but you won't get credit for it. Most state that when you submit it.
This... Most of them have disclaimer, I have a disclaimer like that on my site.
Also third on the ideas are worthless. Get an design document going make it very detailed and may be you can approach someone on a gaming expo etc.
I say make the game, or at least a version of it, yourself. If you don't have the programming and/or art skills, find others who do. Form a team and release it yourself. Or at least have a proof of concept that you can show people instead of just a hypothetical idea. Even if the game never sees a commercial release, at least you have a nice piece for a portfolio.
It's not that easy. First you have to have a company with a tax number. Then you have to fill out an application. You have to be certified and have a skilled team who are also certified. If you have the credentials and education to be a game developer you may have your application accepted. Once you get accepted then you have to pay roughly 3-4 thousand just to access the software. Even then there is no guarantee that the game will be published. You have to have payroll, unlimited work hours and the know how. You can develope on vita and sony mobile for free though. Although not exactly the best way it does give you credibility down the line. Even a indie developer would have to have the money and time to spend on it. I think once you reach an agreement you only have a set time period for release. Unless you had unlimited time and or unlimited money you won't get very far.
If you do decide to attempt forming a team of your own it would be much easier to concentrate on the PC side of development first. The barriers of entry are much lower as anyone with a pulse, access to the internet, and the drive to commit oneself to learning the software and programming concepts necessary can be successful. If your venture happened to work out then you could use that to segue into development on a formal gaming console, but between mobile, flash, and PC platforms like Steam and Desura you won't want for a target to focus on.
Initially, try to flesh out the concept and form a very comprehensive design document as Piko stated earlier, and begin to play around with some programming languages to get a feel for the process of writing code. Also feel free to look into some of the game engines out there if the direct approach seems intimidating to you. If games like Hotline Miami can be made in something like GameMaker then I'm sure you could find a cheap/free game engine to suit you.
If you truly want to work on your concept continue to plug away at making it happen and everything will come together in time. Don't worry about incorporation yet. Don't worry about money yet. Just take the baby steps toward making it happen, and if you have questions don't be afraid to seek the answers out.
Good luck!
P.S. A few leads:
http://kotaku.com/the-video-game-people-you-should-be-following-on-twitt-1532776063
http://box-cat.com/site/2013/10/26/useful-links-for-game-development-tools/
https://www.yoyogames.com/news/210
Originally posted by: matt17_52
Originally posted by: dj5kjlara
I say make the game, or at least a version of it, yourself. If you don't have the programming and/or art skills, find others who do. Form a team and release it yourself. Or at least have a proof of concept that you can show people instead of just a hypothetical idea. Even if the game never sees a commercial release, at least you have a nice piece for a portfolio.
It's not that easy. First you have to have a company with a tax number. Then you have to fill out an application. You have to be certified and have a skilled team who are also certified. If you have the credentials and education to be a game developer you may have your application accepted. Once you get accepted then you have to pay roughly 3-4 thousand just to access the software. Even then there is no guarantee that the game will be published. You have to have payroll, unlimited work hours and the know how. You can develope on vita and sony mobile for free though. Although not exactly the best way it does give you credibility down the line. Even a indie developer would have to have the money and time to spend on it. I think once you reach an agreement you only have a set time period for release. Unless you had unlimited time and or unlimited money you won't get very far.
I never said it would be easy. However, it doesn't have to be as hard as you make it out to be either. I never said he should make the next Call of Duty. He just needs to make a proof of concept; a prototype. This can be done in Unity or something similar. It really all depends on what the OP's ultimate goal is. If it's just to get this game made because he thinks it would be cool to see his game on the shelves, then short of a public contest asking for idea submissions, it'll probably never happen. However, if he wants to turn this into a career, and design more games, then it's best for him to just start designing games; whether or not they will ever be released commercially. My first complete project for school was done between me and one other guy. I was a programmer who couldn't come up with ideas, and he was a designer who had very limited programming abilities. Together we put together a rough prototype of the idea he came up with. The idea was much larger than what we ended up completing, but what we had was the perfect piece for a portfolio. Something to show his potential empolyers that he could come up with a fully fleshed out idea. And for my potential employers it showed that I could work with a designer and bring his concepts to life. Either way, we had something way better to show our potential employers than just a game idea on paper. We had a playable version of a level with several of the main ideas from our concept. This one level communicated so much more about our abilities than even a 100 page design doc could ever do. So I stick by my original advice, to just make the game. Don't worry about getting it published or distributed or anything, that's just getting ahead of yourself. Just find a couple like-minded individuals who you think you can work with and make the game! Unless of course you just want someone else to do it because you think you don't know enough or are too lazy to do it yourself. Then there's just not much hope.
Originally posted by: matt17_52
Originally posted by: dj5kjlara
I say make the game, or at least a version of it, yourself. If you don't have the programming and/or art skills, find others who do. Form a team and release it yourself. Or at least have a proof of concept that you can show people instead of just a hypothetical idea. Even if the game never sees a commercial release, at least you have a nice piece for a portfolio.
It's not that easy. First you have to have a company with a tax number. Then you have to fill out an application. You have to be certified and have a skilled team who are also certified. If you have the credentials and education to be a game developer you may have your application accepted. Once you get accepted then you have to pay roughly 3-4 thousand just to access the software. Even then there is no guarantee that the game will be published. You have to have payroll, unlimited work hours and the know how. You can develope on vita and sony mobile for free though. Although not exactly the best way it does give you credibility down the line. Even a indie developer would have to have the money and time to spend on it. I think once you reach an agreement you only have a set time period for release. Unless you had unlimited time and or unlimited money you won't get very far.
It doesn't sound like he (dj5kjlara) is suggesting making a release on a modern console.
To put together a proof of concept on the PC is nowhere near as bad as you are making it out to be, in terms of overhead and tax/governmental hassle. People do it all the time.
To the OP: To reinforce what others have said, ideas are virtually worthless. Execution is everything.
Professional development teams are not hurting for ideas. They are hurting for enough man-hours on the calendar to get games released, and enough funding to support those man-hours.
Originally posted by: matt17_52
Originally posted by: dj5kjlara
I say make the game, or at least a version of it, yourself. If you don't have the programming and/or art skills, find others who do. Form a team and release it yourself. Or at least have a proof of concept that you can show people instead of just a hypothetical idea. Even if the game never sees a commercial release, at least you have a nice piece for a portfolio.
It's not that easy. First you have to have a company with a tax number. Then you have to fill out an application. You have to be certified and have a skilled team who are also certified. If you have the credentials and education to be a game developer you may have your application accepted. Once you get accepted then you have to pay roughly 3-4 thousand just to access the software. Even then there is no guarantee that the game will be published. You have to have payroll, unlimited work hours and the know how. You can develope on vita and sony mobile for free though. Although not exactly the best way it does give you credibility down the line. Even a indie developer would have to have the money and time to spend on it. I think once you reach an agreement you only have a set time period for release. Unless you had unlimited time and or unlimited money you won't get very far.
It doesn't sound like he (dj5kjlara) is suggesting making a release on a modern console.
To put together a proof of concept on the PC is nowhere near as bad as you are making it out to be, in terms of overhead and tax/governmental hassle. People do it all the time.
To the OP: To reinforce what others have said, ideas are virtually worthless. Execution is everything.
Professional development teams are not hurting for ideas. They are hurting for enough man-hours on the calendar to get games released, and enough funding to support those man-hours.
Wasn't trying to damper the OP's spirit. Most people don't think about indie dev for games when they think of their ideas. I was only stating how hard it is to get a game idea on a console. People like the OP are exactly why Sony made their mobile gaming developing free and they actually encourage indie development. I think that may be the only way a lot of game ideas would ever come to be an actual game.
Originally posted by: matt17_52
Wasn't trying to damper the OP's spirit. Most people don't think about indie dev for games when they think of their ideas. I was only stating how hard it is to get a game idea on a console. People like the OP are exactly why Sony made their mobile gaming developing free and they actually encourage indie development. I think that may be the only way a lot of game ideas would ever come to be an actual game.
As far as I can tell, as a new independent developer the only realistic hope of getting a game on a major console is to prototype it on the PC (or one of the Android consoles) first, and if it is successful you might get picked up by a console developer that ports indie projects (think Cave Story, Spelunky, etc)
It is a really slim chance, practically speaking.
But if OP wants to make a prototype for the PC, the barrier to entry is really low.
Similarly, with a modestly higher barrier to entry he could make games for Android or iOS.
It is just about having realistic expectations.
I'd do what arch seems to mention, PC prototype. Easy and rapid as hell.
Originally posted by: matt17_52
Originally posted by: arch_8ngel
Originally posted by: matt17_52
Originally posted by: dj5kjlara
I say make the game, or at least a version of it, yourself. If you don't have the programming and/or art skills, find others who do. Form a team and release it yourself. Or at least have a proof of concept that you can show people instead of just a hypothetical idea. Even if the game never sees a commercial release, at least you have a nice piece for a portfolio.
It's not that easy. First you have to have a company with a tax number. Then you have to fill out an application. You have to be certified and have a skilled team who are also certified. If you have the credentials and education to be a game developer you may have your application accepted. Once you get accepted then you have to pay roughly 3-4 thousand just to access the software. Even then there is no guarantee that the game will be published. You have to have payroll, unlimited work hours and the know how. You can develope on vita and sony mobile for free though. Although not exactly the best way it does give you credibility down the line. Even a indie developer would have to have the money and time to spend on it. I think once you reach an agreement you only have a set time period for release. Unless you had unlimited time and or unlimited money you won't get very far.
It doesn't sound like he (dj5kjlara) is suggesting making a release on a modern console.
To put together a proof of concept on the PC is nowhere near as bad as you are making it out to be, in terms of overhead and tax/governmental hassle. People do it all the time.
To the OP: To reinforce what others have said, ideas are virtually worthless. Execution is everything.
Professional development teams are not hurting for ideas. They are hurting for enough man-hours on the calendar to get games released, and enough funding to support those man-hours.
Wasn't trying to damper the OP's spirit. Most people don't think about indie dev for games when they think of their ideas. I was only stating how hard it is to get a game idea on a console. People like the OP are exactly why Sony made their mobile gaming developing free and they actually encourage indie development. I think that may be the only way a lot of game ideas would ever come to be an actual game.
I haven't responded to any comments yet, so I apologize for leading you into the dark.
My true intention is to develop a PC game (if it gets ported to consoles, then hell yeah, but that is not my intention - modern systems are heaps of expensive bullshit often publishing graphically prettied up regurgitations of recycled original game concepts) that mimicks the graphical style of SNES era RPG's such as chrono trigger and secret of mana.
I first tried my hand learning Java programming through youtube tutorials and managed to create a short, introductory, unattractive side-scrolling shooter with the end goal of developing mods for a currently developing game called Cube World.
I guess I can't understand (without extensive education, anyways) how Java programming can give me the graphical style that I want.
Which programming language would you guys reccomend learning to best create SNES era graphics?
Which programming software would you reccommend?
You've been a huge help to me so far, thank you guys!
Java SUCKS. Period.
But it can do graphics, just like C+SDL (Which should be used more than likely, if not OpenGL with a 2D engine over it) can do graphics. The style, doesn't matter. Get them ON THE SCREEN. That is the hard part, and usually the part new people go with. Stuff on the screen working fast will NEVER result in a completed project. You have to learn and do the engine first, then tie it all together at the end, with basic graphics, menus, etc. But the style, in any language with any library, will probably be just designing the damn things. I mean, nothing else needs done, it won't magically make a SNES looking game. It takes images, and displays them, weather it be Java or C+SDL. Get learning, and get snes-arting.
And if you need to ask which programming software to use, you are not qualified and probably shouldn't waste your time. Bunny's game maker above will probably be better off for you. Programming is not something that can be done small things at a time efficiently. You either know it or don't. Half knowing will result in nothing ever done.
Producing graphics content for a SNES style RPG is a task that has nothing to do with programming and can take years even with hired skilled pixel artists.
Going for RPG as a first 'serious' project is a common mistake that novice game developers make. That's the worst choice in terms of content amount (tons of graphics, music, a whole thick book of in-game text), overall project scale, and complexity.
Originally posted by: 3GenGames
You need to google, google, google, google, google more, then google how to google. Then google some more. It will take FOREVER to learn how to make games. Games are the most intensive, hardest, longest projects anybody can take up basically.
Java SUCKS. Period.
But it can do graphics, just like C+SDL (Which should be used more than likely, if not OpenGL with a 2D engine over it) can do graphics. The style, doesn't matter. Get them ON THE SCREEN. That is the hard part, and usually the part new people go with. Stuff on the screen working fast will NEVER result in a completed project. You have to learn and do the engine first, then tie it all together at the end, with basic graphics, menus, etc. But the style, in any language with any library, will probably be just designing the damn things. I mean, nothing else needs done, it won't magically make a SNES looking game. It takes images, and displays them, weather it be Java or C+SDL. Get learning, and get snes-arting.
And if you need to ask which programming software to use, you are not qualified and probably shouldn't waste your time. Bunny's game maker above will probably be better off for you. Programming is not something that can be done small things at a time efficiently. You either know it or don't. Half knowing will result in nothing ever done.
That's fair.
And no, I don't want to make an RPG (strictly speaking) so Game Maker or RPG Maker will not do, I just want the graphical style and map layout of an SNES RPG.
And of course I am not qualified, but that is why I am asking: so that I can learn. I also understand that the project will take a stupid amount of time to come to fruitition, but it will be satisfying to have a completed introductory project nevertheless.
So, where in the world should I START? As in what google search should be my first that will be useful to me?
My goal for this summer is to become familiar with programming language, its application, and to create a barebones layout of my game project.
Thanks again for the help.
Originally posted by: dmvanmeveren
And no, I don't want to make an RPG (strictly speaking) so Game Maker or RPG Maker will not do, I just want the graphical style and map layout of an SNES RPG.
You should probably revisit Game Maker.
It is far more capable than you appear to be giving it credit for.
Look up "Spelunky". The original PC release was done in Game Maker, and it is an extremely well executed platforming/action game with randomly generated levels and enemies.
One of the toughest problems, as you already know dmvanmeveren, is how many options are available to you. Programmers of my generation may have had it easier in that pretty much the only (readily available and cheap) option for hobby programming in the 90's and earlier was BASIC and there were plenty of books and websites for how to get started with it. Today, you've got an enormous amount of technologies to choose from. So there's no shame in asking others what to even google about.
In my opinion, when you're starting out there is literally no wrong choice. If you're already somewhat familiar with Java, there'd be nothing wrong with trying to find a graphics or games library and attempting to get as far as you can with building a game with that. You'll learn. You might have a false start, but then you just try again. Maybe with a new language, maybe not. It just doesn't matter. What matters more than anything is never giving up, and never getting discouraged. Don't let anyone tell you you can't do it.
In my generation, BASIC was the beginner's language of choice. Today, it seems to increasingly be Python (it is also very useful to experienced programmers). Why not check out http://inventwithpython.com/ as a possibility. Again though, given what you told us, it might teach you the most to go as far as you can with the language you've already been introduced to before changing gears already.
Originally posted by: 3GenGames
Well, first basic programming. I'd say learn C, just how to do it little by little. Eventually if you learn enough C and get a good idea, you can basically move to another language or stay on it relatively easy, although C probably is also the easiest. Then you have to learn a library like SDL, which isn't too bad, and get content making. It's not a long list, but the steps just take a while to work out.
Deal.