How to Start a Game Development Company

If you are a gamer, you are most likely inclined to design your own game. A career in game development could be in store for you, but if you want to go a level higher, you can even start your own company.

However, in starting your own, you need more than just a passion for gaming. You will need programming skills, an initial investment, and the expertise of other people unless you plan to make a one-person company.

Like any other business, starting one of them involves a lot of work. It is much like playing a game; you need the right tools to win your levels. This article will share some insights about the process that you have to go through when planning to start a gaming company.

Guide to Start a Game Development Company

Here are some essential steps to start a game development company.

Set-up Initial Investment

Starting a game development company requires computers, monitors, software, consoles, insurance, employees, and talent to create games. Consider saving tens of thousands of dollars on the initial facilities and equipment.

But if you want to start it from your place without the help of staff, you can do this using special software and a high-powered computer. Although this method will save you a lot, it will require exceptional effort unless you have extensive experience in creating video games.

Plan your Games

Determine what games your company will develop. Games are created using the C++ programming language, and this should be considered when planning your tools.

Remember that making games for consoles requires a different set of tools than developing games for PCs. Research different development programs to help you create 2D art and produce 3D models.

Build Your Team

If you plan to do everything yourself, you can skip this step. Otherwise, it would be best if you recruited members for your company. You need help from people with different skill sets, and you need to employ designers, writers, and financing staff to take care of the business part of the company.

When choosing your team, remember that you are running a business, and you need to inform them about your goals and expectations.

Set-up Your Office

Disregard this step if you plan to do work alone in your place. But if you have team members, look for an area where you can do your work.

You need to work in one place to facilitate the fast and clear communication required to develop your games. Also, consider:

• the space you need for servers
• meeting rooms for investors and
  clients
• some space for expansion

Create a Game Design Document

Before developing your first game, ensure that you do this step. This will serve as your guide in creating the game. Include:

• all the choices made in the
  development
• estimated time
• programming tools used
• cost of development
• assigned and completed tasks for each
  team member

This guide will help you in explaining your project to others. This will also help you avoid issues when your team loses or gains members.

Create a Demo

Build a demo of the game you are developing. This will help you obtain funding from interested investors and add to your portfolio when working with console developers or publishers. It will be used together with the design document to describe what your company can achieve.

Bring Investors

Using your demo, attract investors to your game development company. You need funding to pay the team’s wages and office rent continuously and keep the company going. Determine your outgoing costs to know how much you need to cover the expenses. You can also consider taking out a small business loan from financial institutions and managing money.

Obtain Development Kits

Your team will need development kits when creating console games. These kits will be essential if you plan to develop games for the present generation consoles like the PlayStation and Wii.

Check the communities that manufacturers created for game developers and ask about independent development programs. By the way, check out these gaming mouse reviews if you want to find the right gaming mouse for you.

Develop a Game for Distribution

Develop your game for digital distribution. Small and startup development companies may not have enough funding to launch their product in retail outlets, but you can do so with the help of console services like Nintendo WiiWare or Xbox Live Arcade.

Advertise your game

Spread your new game and company to other gamers. Do this by:

• distributing demos
• attending game developer festivals
• establishing a relationship with forum companies and bloggers
• tap a digital marketing specialist to help you develop a promotional campaign for your company.

You must build hype for your new game before its release and not after its launch.

Final Thoughts

Starting your own game development company requires more than just a love for gaming. It requires expertise in numerous skill sets in addition to coding. Unless you believe you can build a one-person company to develop your games, you need a group of people to work out the games you plan to build.

Like any business, game developers require an upfront investment, and running the company requires careful planning.