Benjamin Carcich’s Post

When something like Lethal Company or Palworld pops up, everyone focuses on the breakout success of this amazing developer or dev team. Because we weren't aware of the past, we wonder how anyone could be so lucky as to hit it big so quickly. When you look a step deeper, often the devs spent a lot of time working on other games that were less successful - usually in the same company, or as a solo dev on other platforms. Through Roblox or just getting something to launch, these devs and studios - that seem to come out of nowhere! - with a big hit have been working hard for a long time with little to show for it. Many were losing money month over month, or doing co-dev or working entirely unrelated jobs to keep going. Two things I want to call out about this: 1. In game dev, a true "breakout, overnight" success story is much rarer than the headlines would have you believe. There was USUALLY a lot more that went into what seemed like "sudden" success. 2. Watch out for survivor bias. Many many more devs and studios do not have a breakout success than do. You want to be hopeful, but ground yourself in the reality that you might work a LONG time and still not have had your 15 minutes in the spotlight of game dev. Sometimes there are things to learn, ways you can improve for sure, but random chance plays a role here. Final takeaway from all this: I wonder about the brokenness of the way we invest in startups in game dev. Many of the best games we know and see came from studios or at least groups of people who had tried and failed before. The odds of a first time success seem extraordinarily low - probably lower than the overall odds of success in making games in general. The pedigree of the team may not be the biggest factor here if they haven't had time to go through the process and figure out how they work together. The idea that we fund a startup to make one game that's gotta be a big hit seems to be stacking low odds plays on top of each other. I'm not surprised it hasn't been working out. Those studios - like ALL studios - probably need reps. And our current financing models just don't allow for that. #gameproduction #gamedevelopment #gameindustry #success

Games are more than just fun. You've got to understand that game development isn’t: ❌ Just playing around ❌ A final, unchanging product ❌ Purely for entertainment ❌ A one-and-done process ❌ Free from business strategy The reality is that game development is so much more. It's: ✅ A data-driven business ✅ Constantly evolving and updating ✅ Focused on user feedback ✅ Similar to building an MVP ✅ Grounded in quick iterations and problem-solving 💡 Always treat your game like a growing startup. Because that's essentially what it is.

My #1 tip to games founders + builders: Embrace rapid prototyping to bring your concepts to market to ensure you're iterating based on direct feedback. A critical lesson from my own startup's failure was the peril of overthinking. I spent too much time hypothesizing the perfect product rather than releasing it and evolving based on real consumer/player insights. This misstep taught me the value of swift action and responsive iteration over endless theorization without real-world testing and execution.

As the saying goes, you miss all the shots you don’t take, so we took one. In early May we were very early in our startup journey. Development had started on an initial product, and we were in the process of legal company setup, but it was still super early. Regardless, we put together a pitch deck and submitted for a long-shot opportunity. Studio Foundations applied to the summer 2024 cohort of A16Z GAMES SPEEDRUN, which is an accelerator program where Tech x Games intersect for companies to receive some funding, mentorship, and be part of a great community. Our proposal got through the initial screening, and we got an interview with the SPEEDRUN team where we answered a ton of questions about why we’re targeting the problem(s) we are to solve, what makes us the right people to solve them, what our competition looks like, the size of the market opportunity, and other excellent questions. Though had great answers, we ultimately didn’t get in, we were a finalist, got THIS close, and got something very valuable… …feedback on our business from experts in the games investments space. So why didn’t we get in? It’s still too early for our business, which was the risk we knew was there when we applied. Critical things in-flight that address that are: - finishing development on MVP of our first product/service - lining up a few design partners for feedback & iteration - getting customer validation We’re close on all of them, so work continues. Applying for SPEEDRUN was a great experience and continues to prove out the validity of our approach and goals. #buildinpublic #gamedev

The Underdog's Gambit: How Dream11 Turned a Legal Scuffle into a Strategic Triumph A legal volley with GST authorities put #Dream11 in a tight spot, but like any underdog with a grand vision, they saw a board of possibilities where others saw a dead end. Turning a complex legal battle into a showcase of resilience, Dream11's #strategy was not just to clear their name but to elevate their game. This move not just silenced critics but also solidified their standing as a genuine, user-first platform in the sports tech realm. The Dream11 saga goes beyond survival; it is a narrative of smart #positioning and sharper comeback. It stands as a beacon for startups navigating the rough seas of compliance and #litigation. The lesson? With a mix of legal savvy, product finesse, and unwavering customer #commitment, even the harshest tides can steer you towards untapped #opportunities. In a digital era where agility wins, Dream11's playbook is clear—face your challenges head-on, pivot with purpose, and keep the game spirit alive. They didn't just play; they changed the game. #ProductManagement #product #tech #productmanager #productinnovation #Dream11 #GSTFaceoff #StartupStrategy #LegalResilience #GameChanger #TechComeback #InnovateOrStagnate #UnderdogUpturn #FantasySportsTech #BusinessBrilliance

Most founders skip the most important part of building a product: They jump into build mode When they should be focusing on the persona and problem they're solving for The persona and problem will determine everything downstream from it If the problem isn't big enough or the persona doesn't really need it Your product is going to sit on the shelves If you are focused on the right problem – Customers will WANT to give you their money In startup land we call this product-market fit, but what does it actually mean? In the video below I break down First Round's (investors in Square, Notion, and Roblox) framework for understanding PMF.

Part 3: The Mountain of Feedback 🕹️ The Epic Quest to Develop Gamers Home 2.0 - Part 3: The Mountain of Feedback 🕹️ Next, our intrepid team faced the towering Mountain of Feedback. With each step, they encountered the echoes of past users: "Add more features!" "Make it faster!" "Why can't I log in?!" 😫 Alejandro the Pixel Master, with his keen eye for detail, drew a magnificent map, guiding them to the peak where the best ideas sparkled like gems. Lord Brian the Bug Slayer, with his background in tech and experience with startups, oversaw the mapping of the project. Armed with their insights, Marcus the Code Mage and the Fellowship of the Code set to work, transforming user feedback into tangible improvements. The climb was arduous, but the view from the top revealed a clear path forward. They knew their efforts would make Gamers Home 2.0 a truly exceptional platform. How will they bring these ideas to life? (Dragonball Z narrator voice) Tune in next time for another chapter of, Developing Gamers Home 2.0!!! #GamersHome #WebsiteDevelopment #Storytime #Part3

In the face of countless layoffs and industry gatekeeping, a silver lining appears, and it is the humble indie founder. To help, I have built you this: a comprehensive guide to starting your own studio. ✨ Indie studios are not easy. Only 7% of them survive their first game release. But times of industry strife are hidden opportunities, for it is often during these times that new winners appear, and the balance of power shifts. The statistics can be scary, but it is only by knowing them, learning from them, and proceeding despite them that we have any shot at success. At shifting this industry to one with less volatility, and more kindness. So here, in my own small way, is a guide to help you do just that. You, my indie dev family, are the revolutionaries of our age. You are the ones that will lead us to a better tomorrow. I'm just here to guide you, and perhaps cast a spell or two in your favor. 💜 ➡ Get the full guide in high quality with clickable links here: https://lnkd.in/eyftv42S What are we missing? What does Version 1.2 need? 💜 Share to spread the love 💜 #gamedev #gamedevelopment #indiegames #indiegamedev #indiegamedevelopment #indiegaming #gaming #gamedevelopers #gamedeveloper #gameindustry #studio #gamestudio #studiofounder #founders #entrepreneurship #charts #IndieStudio #GameDesign #IndieGames #StartupJourney #GameDevCommunity #Entrepreneurship #GameBusiness #IndieGameStudio #GameIndustry #IndieDevTips #GameDevGuide #GameDevSuccess #BuildYourStudio #GamingEntrepreneur #IndieGameMaker #DevLife #StartYourGameStudio #IndieGameCommunity #unity3d #unity #godot #unreal

Today's the second anniversary of A16Z GAMES and (roughly) the first anniversary for A16Z GAMES SPEEDRUN. A lot's changed in the last two years! When I joined we were still investing in games from the consumer fund. We spun out our fledgling "startup" VC with six people; now we're a team over twenty strong. We cover everything from talent to marketing to creators to content to BD to publishing. We started with games studios - I invested in Theorycraft Games, The Believer Company, Azra Games 🔜 Consensus Austin, Roboto Games, Metatheory Inc., Lumi Interactive and others my first year - but we've also gone way broader. Now we have a broad portfolio of tech x games, ranging from AI, web3, AR/VR, infra tools, prosumer platforms, and gamified apps. We launched SPEEDRUN! It was a total experiment at the beginning; can we teach the principles of game design and inspire the next generation of great game founders? And now it's a real institution. Seventy plus companies, tens of millions of dollars deployed, and many startups that have grown their business and raised follow-on capital. It's a real team effort with Andrew Lee Joshua Lu Samira Behrouzan Petra Garrett and the rest of the team. Every function has scaled. Jordan Mazer and Caitlin Cooke have become LinkedIn whisperers and have directed thousands of candidates. Doug McCracken Samira Behrouzan Lester Chen have done a great job rebranding our fund, launching a YouTube, and now a substack too. Katia Ameri has turned tech week into a real institution with tens of thousands of people. So what next? Well first, we're bringing SPEEDRUN to LA, and applications close tomorrow. We want to connect the tech x games ecosystem in LA and support the burgeoning community here. And second, we raised GAMES FUND TWO. For my part, I've launched my own substack, TikTok, and continue to invest in the best B2C founders out there. If you're building a studio, UGC platform, gamified app, anime, or web3 startup, let's chat.

Thrilled to announce that The HL Guide for Video Games Startups has surpassed 200 downloads! 🚀 This guide was created so you can have the fundamentals in place so your business doesn’t fail before you really get going. Here are a few things you can find in our guide: ✅ Funding options ✅ Industry experts’ advice ✅ Accounting tips ✅ How to pay taxes & more! Download the Henderson Loggie Guide for Games Startups using the link below 👇 https://lnkd.in/eEMK5DrV  #GameDev #StartupTips #GamingIndustry