The moment of truth has come, everything you have worked so hard for. Those countless hours working all nighters, guzzling two liter bottles of Mountain Dew, telling friends, "nah sorry guys, can't come out tonight", and putting up with a very annoyed significant other. It's time for the big payoff! After all, you just made an amazing mobile gaming app! So the game is done. It's time for all the money to come rolling in right? All those fantasies you had about skiing down mountains of gold coins a la Scrooge McDuck are going to come to fruition.
Well, not so fast, because having the game ready is only one small piece of the puzzle. Five years ago, it was easy to develop and self-publish a mobile gaming app with relative success. While I'm not saying this is no longer possible, utilizing the services a publishing company like Chillingo could be the better bet. Today, app stores across multiple platforms are flooded with games upon games. What's going to make yours stand out? Do you alone possess the knowledge to market the game? No? What about within your entire development team, if you have one? Do you fully understand how fragmentation of the market works? Can you, in a sufficient manner, identify the differences between all the mobile carrier markets? The questions can go on and on and the real point is, no one person is a master at everything.
Here's where a publisher comes in. A publisher has resources and connections that you do not. They take a look at your work and see what they can do to monetize and get the most life out of your game. They understand how to make your gaming app work on multiple platforms and across a plethora of carriers worldwide. Input on issues that you or your dev team may have never thought of can be offered. Publishers understand changing markets, differences in consumer attitudes, and most importantly, they have the experience. In the growing world of mobile gaming, more and more developers are churning out mobile gaming apps. Brilliant titles can be self-published, no doubt about it, but are they truly realizing their full potential? Probably not.
Now, on the other hand, a diamond in the rough mobile game could be submitted to a publisher, who can then offer their input and let you revisit the drawing board. After opening your eyes to things that hadn't occurred to you during your nights burning the midnight oil, sleep deprived and depressed, the final product should have improved significantly. That extra month or two of work could make all the difference. This leads us to the most important point of all. The mobile gaming marketplace has zero room for lackluster games. As Chief Operating Officer Ed Rumley of Chillingo put it: "it's a ruthless platform and there's just no room for anything except perfection".
So, young padawan developer, think about that for a minute. Let it soak in, but don't let it discourage you. Take a step backward. Now breathe. Deep breath. Take another one. Grab a six pack. No, grab that bottle of vodka. Yes, there you go. It's going to be a long night ahead of you. There's work to be done but when it's REALLY done, you're only about half way. After that, maybe you should get in touch with some publishers.
Source: Gamesindustry.biz
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