 Wahoo founded in 2001  Created a demo  Friend suggested downloadable  Created NinjaBee Brand  Completed a PC version  MS told us about XLA Brief History

Other Platforms

Young, single guy Working in his bedroom Crashing at a friends apartment Few living expenses Totally dedicated to his craft Typical Indie…

NinjaBee is different Still geeks but….

We Live in Utah

Combined age of 127 The 3 Company Owners are OLD!

I have 4 kids (two sets of twins) We are married with children

My last set of twins cost over $1 Million…each We need medical insurance

We sacrificed for a couple of years but… now we need to make a profit to survive.

We want to make our own games and our own success

 Budgets  Milestones  PM’s  Consider marketability of games  Larger Teams  More games  Diversity  We are easy to work with  We accept advice How do we stay profitable?

Not as good as independent work but it has advantages…. Contract Work

 Earn money to support indie projects  Build technology  Gain experience  Make bigger games  Build relationships Why Contract Work?

 Explore more ideas  Lower risk  Stability  Build IP library  Take advantage of marketing  Focus testing

I’ve pitched hundreds of games I’ve even had success Pitching games

Pitching is not only for publishers but it’s also for investors, any outside funding or even getting your game approved on PSN or XLA You still might want to listen!

Advice for all pitches Ask questions first Keep it simple Opinions are formed quickly Focus on visuals!!!! EVERYONE is influenced by visuals

Negotiation Advice Let them give you numbers first Don’t count on royalties Plan for cancelation Don’t settle for a bad deal Be willing to say NO Consider man month costs Poor odds – 10 to 1

Determining Budgets ? Schedule Team size Audio Development kits Testing ESRB General overhead Profit

Ranges Man month rates 5K – 12K Downloadable console budgets 250K – 1M

Publisher Calculations Cost of the game - Network costs / Percentage - Developer Royalties - Testing - Submission Process - Producer / Staff costs Compare with current sales numbers

Sample Super Rough Calculation $10 game = $5 profit per game 50K copies = break-even on a 250K budget 100K copies = break-even on a 500K budget

Use images that look the way you envision the final game. Fake screen shots!

Make a movie!!! Demos are over-rated for selling a concept

XLA Specific  Everything changes  MS goal = make XLA better  Shoot higher than current games  Broaden XLA portfolio  Prove you can deliver

Publisher Specific  All about Risk!!!!!  History is important  Skills for that specific game  Will your game sell? Genre History

Which Platform is Best?

PC Don’t listen to me, we suck! Our sales numbers are very low Low traffic on our site Our web site didn’t portray quality No reason to come back Bad portal deals Retail deals super small Poor Marketing We haven't been on Steam - Yet

We believe in the potential for PC We are revamping our website We are making more PC games

iPhone We still suck! Our sales numbers are really low VERY Crowded Just Making a good game isn’t enough We had high ratings but low sales

iPhone Problem: How to get the attention of this massive audience? Whoever solves this problem wins! This could be you!

WiiWare Low number of sucessful games Purchasing experience rough No Trials – hard for new IP Fewer potential customers It takes more than just a good game We have excuses but…

We are trying again…

WiiWare How to get attention from Wii owners? Many don’t even know what WiiWare is Purchasing not simple

XLA Success Outpost Kaloki = good Cloning Clyde = a little better Band of Bugs = not good Avatar update ??? A Kingdom for Keflings = amazing

XLA Trends Bigger and more expensive Hit driven Compete with AAA retail games DLC - questionable

If you can’t get on XLA today don’t give up hope Make games that get you closer to this goal. Prove your abilities Develop technology Develop relationships

XLA Suggestions Make games the big boys are scared of making $5 dollar market will return Add personality Use console features in an interesting way

Young Indies Should… Remember luck favors the prepared Plan for long term goals Make your mark while you can Don’t waste time Define who you are and go with it Listen to feedback Expect to grow and improve You won’t be young forever

Where NinjaBee is headed ?

Downloadable console games ARE the future! We hope to lead the way in unexpected creativity! There will always be room for small and creative developers.

If your Young … think about what you want to be if you grow up Use your time wisely Set long term goals Take steps toward goals Plan for success but prepare for failure Do things you can build on