Dealmaking for Developers 2007: Challenges for Growing an Independent Studio
Did you know that GDC has a Business and Management track? Even if you are a creative type, it's still valuable to know your way around the business side of things. Not only will the knowledge make you more aware of how your bosses make their decisions, but perhaps someday you will want to be your own boss. Dealmaking for Developers 2007: Challenges for Growing an Independent Studio is a full-day tutorial run by an interesting mix of speakers.
Here's what our advisory board says:
Great stuff for the new biz owners out there.
They need this talk.
Repeat of last year's very successful tutorial.
Dealmaking for Developers 2007: Challenges for Growing an Independent Studio
Speakers: Jim Charne (Lawyer, Law Offices James I Charne), Dan O'Connell Offner (Founder, Offner & Anderson), David S Rosenbaum (Attorney, Law Offices of David S Rosenbaum), Garry Kitchen (President and CEO, Skyworks Technologies, Inc.), Robert Walsh (CEO, Krome Studios Pty, Ltd.), Josh Resnick (President, Pandemic Studios)
Date/Time: Tuesday (March 6, 2007) 10:00am — 6:00pm
Track: Business and Management
Format: Full-Day Tutorial
Experience Level: All
Session Description
Staffing, financing, and publisher risk avoidance are making it more and more difficult for developers to land big console dev deals. But as our industry grows, new opportunities in emerging market segments mean developers can still build reputations and grow their companies by making great games. This program opens with a discussion of the state of the game dev industry 2007 and a peek at the panel members' crystal ball for 2008 and beyond, reviews nuts and bolts contracting issues that are important to developers in any development deal, then moves on to look at the histories and future plans of special guest speaker's well-known companies that have not relied solely on big console deals for their growth. The day closes with a free-wheeling, unrehearsed panel hypothetical in which a fictional new company must assess its strengths and weaknesses in the current market and prepare a business plan for presentation to its financiers.
Idea Takeaway
Brand new or smaller studios who do not have the staff, financing, or access to technology or console publisher relationships required for big console deals can grow and prosper by focusing on their own industry segments. Contract issues are similar and an overview of "do's" and "don'ts" can help make any deal a little better for the developer.
Intended Audience
No prerequisites. This program is for anyone who has an interest or a dream of starting a development studio and wants to understand the business climate and contracting related issues that go with the opportunity. It will be of particular interest to studio management, lawyers, MBA candidates, or business-types interested in the legal, contracting, and business dev side of game development.