Online video game platforms can be a great way to get your brand out there and move your business from the idea stage to a fully developed and interactive experience. The industry continues to evolve each year, and there is always room for fresh innovation in the kinds of games released and how consumers play them. Here are a few tips for getting started with your own platform.
Register the Business
You want to develop and release a game or series of games and related products. Registering your business in the state in which you’ll be producing things is a good first step. There are different ways you can choose to register your business, and some of the more common ones include sole proprietorship, partnerships, or limited liability. The last category might be particularly useful if you need to take on some early debts to get started.
Find a Dream Team
It is possible that you plan to do most things in the business yourself. If you have the time and the right technical skills, you might be able to do most of the work of putting together a simple game and its related products. However, it can be nearly impossible to create and market more complex games all by yourself. The logistics of simply running the business side of things could also be overwhelming. Consider finding at least two competent programmers, a graphics artist, a marketer, and a finance expert. Play to your strengths and do the job that you think suits you.
Monetize
One of the easiest ways to raise startup capital that you might need is crowdfunding. This method allows you to generate interest in your upcoming games and put out offers for interested parties to donate to the cause. Using some of the best practices for crowdfunding can help you get started thanks to tips from experts who have done it before. Once a campaign ends, it’s time to move on and monetize your brand. An online store gives you tools for marketing, building your game site, and engaging with the community.
Product Creation
How you create your product will depend on how your company started. If you already had the idea for a game and generated interest and funding for it by teasing it to fans, you won’t have as much need for things like focus groups. However, you should still test your game regularly for bugs and make sure development is finished before the launch.
Market the Game
You’ll do some marketing as a natural part of moving from crowdfunding to a more dedicated online platform. However, you can still pump up the hype for your product by releasing newsletters, visiting gaming forums, and creating a community that is centered around your company and games. Fans of larger, more established brands like to discover new indie developers as well.
Even a small, independent game platform needs a bit of time and help to get off the ground. Once you find the right team, generate interest in your products, and market or monetize things well, you’ll be much closer to making your ideas entertainment reality.