2. When the Honeymoon Ends: 12 Ways to Keep Your Publisher in Love with You
Michael Fitch

3. When the Honeymoon Ends
So, who is this guy?
Director of Creative Management at THQ
Previously, a Creative Manager at THQ
A fancy way of saying “Publisher’s producer on creative topics”
Before that, Red Storm Entertainment
Back in the day, at Atomic Games

4. When the Honeymoon Ends
What’s this talk about?
Relationship management
Simple, practical approaches
Concrete actions you can take
Building a reputation as a good partner

5. When the Honeymoon Ends
What’s this talk not about?
How to pitch (finding a partner)
Managing the due diligence process
Contract negotiations
Bitching about bad relationships
On with the show…

6. Pre-Production 1) Talk early and often
Set up regular calls, at least weekly
When in doubt, pick up the phone
Create opportunities for feedback
Follow-up with , regularly
Track issues, resolutions

7. 2) Plan the future together
Pre-Production
2) Plan the future together
Agree on a “vision” for the project
Establish priorities early, revisit frequently
Set expectations clearly
Create opportunities to demonstrate progress

8. 3) Get approvals before you actually need them
Pre-Production
3) Get approvals before you actually need them
Make milestone approval a foregone conclusion
Pre-submit milestone materials
Agree explicitly on build deliveries
Use interim drops when valuable

9. 4) Sell the game with every milestone
Pre-Production
4) Sell the game with every milestone
Highlight all progress
Include pretty pictures
Over-deliver wherever you can
No nasty surprises!

10. 5) Make your builds a present, not a chore
Production
5) Make your builds a present, not a chore
Package it up
Schedule time to integrate and test
Build notes are a guidebook to your work
Create shortcuts to the good bits
Give us something to brag about
Deliver it on time!

11. 6) Deliver bad news early, but bring flowers
Production
6) Deliver bad news early, but bring flowers
Shit happens, we know that
Don’t wait until the milestone is due
Help us to understand not just what, but how and why
Present a recovery plan with every problem

12. 7) Be scrupulously honest
Production
7) Be scrupulously honest
Let us see everything
Provide access to your wiki, source control, intraweb
Visibility is cheap
Control the conversation

13. 8) Keep it a two-way street
Production
8) Keep it a two-way street
Come visit!
Pick up a check every once in a while
Ask questions
Manage up

14. 9) Budget time and money for marketing
Finishing the Game
9) Budget time and money for marketing
Demand a timeline and asset list
Build tools for screen and video capture
Block out time for all your leads
Dedicate an artist before you think you’ll need one
Plan to lose days for visits, and industry events, and road shows

15. Finishing the Game 10) Tell us what you need We have resources!
Get QA on-site for free
Insist on usability testing
The best time to ask for more is when everyone can see the end
The more of a confidence surplus you’ve built up, the more likely you’ll get what you ask for

16. Finishing the Game 11) Share the load
Your producer(s) can work for you
Scheduling/prioritizing
Testing/balancing PR
Community management
Content

17. Finishing the Game 12) Test everything
Pretend you don’t know how it works
Get into the dark corners
Try wacky combinations
Nothing hurts more than a slip that’s too late to do anything about

18. Takeaway A relationship is just that – a relationship
Communication
Trust
Collaboration
You need to satisfy both partners’ needs
Bumps happen; it’s how you handle them that matters
Treat every project as the courtship for the next one – because it is

19. Questions?

20. When the Honeymoon Ends: 12 Ways to Keep Your Publisher in Love with You
Michael Fitch
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