作者：Dan Rogers

一个体育节目解说员最近谈论了某职业教练的一套不同寻常的获胜系统。这位带领超高胜率的队伍的教训主张的不是研究他的队伍获胜的比赛，而是分析他的队伍输掉的比赛。他的理由是，如果你可以预防你的队伍失败，那么你也可以让他们获胜。

对于游戏开发者来说，这也是一条好建议，特别是考虑到现在开发游戏所面临的风险。下面是开发者们过去常落入的陷阱。与成功的队伍教练一样，理解过去的失败有助于明天的成功。

game studio(from fromthedpad.com)

对人投资

企业家建立开发工作室是有很多原因的，但通常是因为他们珍视独立性和获得更丰厚的经济回报的机会。结果，这些高度积极的人往往不情愿增加人员，甚至当他们知道自己需要帮助的时候。不可否认，现金流对任何小商业来说都是很重要的，但现在的游戏开发是一个复杂又综合的行业，特别是考虑到新一代平台的崛起。为了开发一款成功的游戏，你的公司必须有很多专业人士。所以招贤纳士永远不嫌迟，同时，你要认可他们的贡献并给予相应的奖励。

叫价不要过低

经营工作室的成本是可以估计的，所以花些时间了解你的成本，包括经常性费用、目标利润率和应急费用等。不要因为害怕丢掉饭碗而对项目叫价过低。放弃财政上不合理的机会总是比接受会损失钱的工作来得好。另外，记住，能挣钱的工作室会更吸引发行商。发展稳定和组织合理会让发行商更相信他们的投资不会打水漂。

不要让发行商借你的资源搞投机

发行公司中的个人要求你开发概念、美术和补丁材料，并希望说服管理层他们有一个好想法，这并非罕见。虽然作为商业伙伴，保持灵活和理性是很重要的，但你没有义务给发行商白干活。如果可以，请避免冒险的行为，甚至当你知道发行商也投入了他们的时间。

另一方面，有时候为了赢得有利可图的项目，你必须制作某个概念。这时，确保发行商的执行管理层已经确认过计划。甚至在那之后，也不要花太多时间或金钱。更理智的做法是，让发行商先付钱。如果他们拒绝，那你至少知道了什么是真什么是假。

另外，记住，在收到付款前，你在项目中投入的时间和金钱越多，商议合同时你的发言权就越小。

保持独立

游戏行业是非常不稳定的，甚至发展稳定的发行公司也频繁发生人事变动或财政起伏。当发行商协议建立长期合作关系时，记住，在没有得到可靠的未来工作保障以前，你没有义务把你的未来放在他们手上。另外，提醒你自己，要求与你建立一对一发行关系的人可能不是告诉你项目取消了或因为财政困难而不能支付你的人。在多个项目和发行商之间，你分摊的风险越多，你的商业就越稳定。因为发行商积极从他们的竞争对手那里拿走珍贵的资源，额外好处是，你成为更加诱人的收购目标。

being_independent(from getting-positive-karma-now)

专业化

不要告诉发行商你什么都能做，指望他们会对你的工作室的灵活性产生深刻印象。发行商极少寻找什么都能做的开发者。他们想要的是能够把特定的事做好的开发者。全面发展意味着全面平庸，发行商很难把你匹配到某个项目中。专业化却可以让发行商更加尊重你的工作，你也更容易建立威信。你的声望越高，你就越受欢迎，更有趣的事，甚至在你并非专业的领域中你也会获得更多机会。

专注

记住你的专业是什么，不要放弃你的核心竞争力。游戏行业风险高，不要去冒无谓的风险。但同时，也不要害怕接受新趋势。无论是新平台还是新类型，你都要保持领先地位，只是不要忘记你的本行。做过头的结果就是不可救药的失败。

对技术投资

发行商寻找技术领先的工作室是因为，这是行业中最困难最有风险的领域。所以你应该不断更新和升级你的技术，甚至当获得第三方的许可。在技术上落后的开发者极少能重振旗鼓的，所以你要舍得在引擎和工具上下血本。它们是竞技场上最有力的武器。

不幸的是，从发行商的角度看，你的最后一款游戏是怎么样的，你就是怎么样的。所以，你要谨慎地选择项目，并好好完成，似乎你的商业命脉全部押在它上面了，事实从很多方面看，也确实是这样的。

无论你是开发大预算的次世代游戏还是可下载的资料片，你越了解你自己的失败、前人的失败，你的胜算就越大。英语作家兼《纳尼亚传奇》的作者C.S. Lewis曾经写道：“失败是指向成功之路的手指。”这对我们来说都是一条好建议。（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，拒绝任何不保留版权的转载，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

8 steps to a successful studio

by Dan Rogers

Dan Rogers of Interactive Studio Management lists the eight business laws every independent developer should abide by…

A television sports commentator was recently discussing a professional coach’s unusual system of winning. Rather than studying the games his team had won, this highly successful team coach tried to better understand the games his team had lost. His reasoning was that if you could prevent your team from losing, by default you could cause them to win.

It’s not bad advice for video game developers either, especially considering the risks of developing games these days. Below are a few of the snares that have caught developers in the past. Like a successful team coach, understanding yesterday’s failures may help you to win tomorrow.

Invest in people

Entrepreneurs establish development studios for a variety of reasons, but often it is because they value independence and the chance to achieve greater financial rewards. As a result, these highly motivated individuals are often reluctant to add personnel, even when they know they need help. Admittedly, cash flow is vital to any small business, but these days game development is a highly complex, integrated business, especially considering next-gen platforms. To develop a successful title you need experts throughout the company. So don’t wait until it’s too late to add knowledgeable people, and when you do, value their contributions and reward them proportionately.

Don’t under-bid

The costs of running a studio can be accurately and reliably forecasted, so take the time to understand your costs, including burdened overhead, targeted profit margin, and contingencies. Don’t be tempted to underbid a project because you are afraid of losing work. It is better to walk away from an opportunity that doesn’t make financial sense than it is to take the job and lose money. Also, keep in mind that studios making sound financial decisions are more attractive to publishers. The aroma of stability and structure gives publishers more confidence that the money they are investing is in good hands.

Don’t let publishers speculate with your resources

It is not uncommon for individuals working in a publishing organization to ask you to develop concepts, art, and pitch materials, hoping to convince their management that they have a good idea. While it is important to be a flexible, reasonable business partner, you are under no obligation to give publishers work for free. Avoid risky bootstrapping situations if you can, even when you are told that the publisher is investing their time as well.

On the other hand, sometimes it is necessary to work on concepts in order to win a lucrative project. In these situations, make sure that the publisher’s executive management has already approved the plan. Even then, don’t spend too much time or money. The better plan is to ask the publisher to pay your expenses before you begin. If they say no at least you’ll have a better idea of what is real and what is not.

Also, remember that the more time and money you invest in a project before you are paid, the less leverage you will have when it comes time to negotiate the contract.

Remain independent

The video game business is highly volatile, and even stable publishers experience frequent staffing and financial changes. When a publishing partner talks about building a long-term relationship, remember that without solid assurances of future work you are under no obligation to place your financial future in their hands. Also, remind yourself that the person asking you for a monogamous publishing relation probably won’t be the one telling you that your project has been cancelled or that the publisher is unable to pay you because of financial difficulties. The more you amortise your risks across multiple projects and publishers, the more stable your business will be. And because publishers are motivated to take valuable resources away from their competitors, an added benefit is that you become a more tempting acquisition target.

Specialise

Don’t make the mistake of telling a publisher that you can do anything, hoping that they will be impressed with your studio’s flexibility. Publishers rarely look for developers who can do anything. What they want are developers who are able do specific things. Generalise and publishers will have difficulty matching you with a specific project. Specialise and you will find that publishers respect your work more, and the easier it will be to build a successful reputation. The more successful your reputation, the more in demand you will be, and interestingly enough, the more opportunities you will have in areas where you are not considered an expert.

Focus

Remember what business you are in and don’t get sidetracked with ideas that take you away from your core competencies. The industry is risky enough without adding the complexities of tangential opportunities. At the same time, don’t be afraid to respond to emerging industry trends. Be it is a new platform or genre, you need to keep ahead of the curve – just don’t stray too far from home. Too many before you have done so and become hopelessly lost.

Invest in technology

Publishers look for technology leaders because it is one of the most difficult and risk-prone areas of the industry. As a result, you should continually sharpen and upgrade your tech, even when licensing from a third party. Developers who fall behind technologically rarely recover, so invest in your engine and tools. They are some of the most potent weapons in your competitive arsenal.

Finish well

Unfortunately, from a publisher’s perspective, you are only as good as the last game you developed. Choose your projects with care and finish them well, as if your business life depends on it, because in many respects it does.

Whether you are developing multi-million dollar next-gen games or downloadable content, the more you understand of your failures, and the failures of others before you, the greater your chance of success. English literary scholar and Chronicles of Narnia author C.S. Lewis once wrote, ‘Failures are finger posts on the road to achievement’. That’s good advice for all of us.(source:develop-online)