Sorry if this is posted in the wrong section as I couldn't find anyone more suitable to ask this question. I am considering breaking into the video game industry and starting my own small development studio however I don't even know where to begin, I am aware that I will need to seek out a publisher for my titles however my main question is when self publishing titles (meaning if I were to publish them myself) What kind of percentage do console makers take for publishing the games on their consoles. Again sorry for asking this question here but I couldn't find anywhere else to ask it and I figured if there could be anyone to answer this question it would more than likely be a DigitalPoint user. Thanks in advance any informational links or comments are welcomed.
I know a lot about making games, though not as much about the console industry. I think you really need to get real factual information from a proper source, before you decide what to do. I've seen all kinds of posts on forums speculating about how game companies do business but that is not reliable. I'm not sure why you think these console makers will take a percent, did you read that somewhere? Consider starting small, either working for an existing company, or making a shareware or pay for gold type of game, or some have gotten their names known by making full mods and getting those included in major games. Now if you want to talk about programming and 3d moddeling then I can give you some answers.
This should be a really good blog to check out http://www.gameproducer.net/ (not mine, I just really like it). I would imagine that you'd look for a small distributor like bigfishgames or really any of those little $20 game websites, unless your game is going to be really big. I'll go ahead and put up the link to their distribution page, you can at least ask a couple of questions through the email provided. http://www.bigfishgames.com/company/game-developer.html As far as the console makers getting a cut, it is possible, but unlikely. The profit/cut they get is from selling their own video games. They do sell licenses for producers who want to sell accessories for the console (at least Microsoft does). In fact, I thought that some might have to pay for exclusive rights for having the game on their console. I assume that Nintendo did this to have exclusive console rights for Manhunt 2 (part of their plan to have a more adult audience). I hope that this helps a bit. Just the bits and pieces that I've heard.
Are you thinking console video games or computer video games? I'm pretty sure the companies take a nice share of the price because they make money by selling games, not consoles.
Computer Games is the way to go! No needing to get approved by console manufacturers and no need to deal with console SDKs
Actually the only "cut" that I've heard about is selling a software development kit to the game companies. Even if that kit is a lot I think it's just a drop in the bucket compared to other expenses companies face. PC games are of course quite viable. Gamasutra and gamespot have articles about these things that may be interesting.
I was referring to Microsoft requiring all Xbox accessories and controls to be officially licensed before they would be compatible with the Xbox (I think I remember that right). But yes, they don't take too much of a cut, programming costs would be the big expense.
I have always heard that Console makers made there money from the Games sold and not the Actual consoles (not counting the Nintendo Wii which is actually profitable for Nintendo however this normally doesn't occur for a number of years atleast). I always assumed that Console makers charged a licensing fee for the games released on the consoles or am I wrong. I actually want to develop a handful of general simple titles for the PC and look to break into the console market (at the very most the Wii since the graphical technology is closer to last Gen than current). But anyway this are big dreams right now just being able to publish a simple PC title would be wonderful. Thanks for the information provided already you guys rock.
I've got a young relative that started designing and selling little, fun games for the PC and Mac for between $10-15 when he was 16. He sells them from a personal website. He's 20 now and makes roughly $1,000/month and all he does is release map updates occasionally for a small fee. He isn't aspiring to start a company or make it his career, but it is certainly decent repeating income for only a few hours of work a month.
Indeed Ezkl software is always a great idea. I make all my money right now doing web development and selling websites and communities that I create which is at least similar. Selling software can be an incredibly profitable market because with the right marketing no matter how crappy your product is you can find a buyer by targeting the right demographic, this is the same reason why companies that make very crappy software and very crappy games can keep their doors open because its very simple math, you invest the majority of your money into marketing the product and as little as possible into making the actual product, you ship it out to the market and if you have targeted the right demographic then someone will definitely purchase the product. Now while the company's name might become infamous with consumers the fact is the game is targeted at consumers whom are less experienced when purchasing games for example games aimed at Everyone or people under the age 10 means that parents will more than likely be less informed when purchasing these kinds of games for their kids, if you release a game that looks harmless even though it plays like crap it doesn't matter if you end up shipping just a few thousand copies of the game. If you sell it for a competitive price then you end up making serious money for an inferior product and if you think people will simple return it if they don't like it then think again, since the game is more than likely being bought for someone younger you will have a field day. I know it might sound like a terrible way of thinking but it is the true reality that we live in which is why I love marketing so much. It doesn't matter how great a product is if no one knows about it.