Nika Mlinarič Hribar’s Post

Top 3 Mistakes Gaming Startups Make by Deconstructor of Fun Starting a game studio is a tough mission. 💪 It involves a combination of creative vision, business insight, technical knowledge and strategic planning. 🎯 And follow some crucial steps, such as: ✅ Begin with a clear concept, define your sub-genre/niche, but always based on market research. ✅ Create a business plan, set a budget, and assemble a team of developers, designers, and artists. ✅ Build a game prototype using a suitable engine, test it frequently, and refine based on feedback. ✅ Choose a monetization strategy, optimize app store listings, and promote through marketing and community engagement. ✅ After launch, provide ongoing support, explore funding options, and expand with new contents and team growth. However, even though we followed the playbook to the letter, we failed on our journey. That's why it's so important to listen to the experiences of investors with a track record. Hosted by Jen Donahoe, Deconstructor of Fun has launched an episode of its podcast with gaming VCs superstars, presenting the 3 main mistakes a gaming startup makes. Anton Backman from Play Ventures, Jere Partanen from SIS Ventures , and Sikander Singh Chahal from Transcend. give us powerful insights. 👉🧠 👇 Swipe down to see the summary of the pod published on the DoF blog. 👇 But we recommend our partners listen to the full episode (link in the comments). Every tip can be a gem of wisdom. 🧙♂️ - x - Would you like to talk more about the mobile game market? 🤔📲 Get in touch with Bruno Onto (CEO) and Eduardo Krakauer (CFO) at the Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki (a event by PocketGamer.biz). 🇫🇮 Super Company is a publisher specializing in acquiring and partnering with mature or sunset mode games and apps. 🚀📲 It would be a pleasure to talk to you about our sector and perhaps make a partnership. 🤝 What do you think? 😉 Let’s go to #PGCHelsinki! 🛫 #PGConnects #mobilegames #gaming #gamedev

We've been a bit quiet over the past six months, but we've been hard at work at Playsum and have accomplished a lot that we’re proud of! Here's an update of what all we've been up to: 🚀 Web App Launch: We released our web app, which brings a big upgrade to the UI and functionality compared to the mobile app. We're also nearing completion on a feature that will let users create their own communities! After that, we'll begin rolling out a range of safety features to give admins and moderators the tools they need to keep their communities safe. 🛍 Playsum Games Store Upgrades: We've launched a ton of new features, transforming the store from a first version into a full-fledged game store. New additions include a backorder system, multiple payment options, a wishlist feature, Steam reviews and ratings, countdown timers, a price slider, and DLC toggle - just to name a few! A big thank you to Mads Gerber for the expert advice! 🎮 Expanding Publisher Partnerships: We’ve added several new publishers, bringing our total to 45! Recent partners include Marvelous Entertainment, Indie io, Atari, and Maximum Entertainment. We’re thrilled to keep growing our publisher relationships and game catalog! 🤝 New Collaborations: To boost our visibility, we’ve partnered with major deal aggregators gg.deals, IsThereAnyDeal, and Nexarda, as well as the #1 creator wishlist platform, Throne. This is helping more gamers discover our games and great deals! Currently exploring more partnerships that aren’t yet official - looking forward to announcing them soon! 🌱 Creative Projects: Our web novel, Plots of Panoros, has surpassed 60,000 words, and we’ve started developing Plasma Plaines, a sci-fantasy farm sim game which takes place in the same setting within the Playsum-verse! Want to learn more? Check out our latest dev diary - link in comments! #startups #trustandsafety #indiedev

Finally we have our Kickstarter Campaign Launch prepared. Our journey begins on November 6 at 9AM PT / 18:00 CEST 🦊. You would really help us if you share our announcement in your network and tell your family and friends about it ❤️❤️❤️ Click here for our Kickstarter and follow: https://lnkd.in/e6C39WQs Features of Paws and Leaves: 🦊 Play as "Me" Experience the emotional journey of a young fox in his final tale. Get guidance from a charming butterfly named Ani, who helps you on your last journey. Use Me’s senses, like smelling, to locate memories in the world in-between.   😢 Emotional Storytelling with Light Horror Elements A deeply moving narrative that includes darker and dangerous moments to reflect the protagonist's fading life. Meet various characters, uncover their stories, and retrieve hidden memories.   🎣 Unique Gameplay Activities Engage in activities like fishing for keepsakes on the back of an ancient wise turtle.   ⛄ Beautiful World with small open world zones in different seasons While the game has a strong linear storyline, players are free to explore the breathtaking world at their own pace to uncover secrets, collect keepsakes, and unravel new tales.   💬 Personal Keepsakes Discover and collect player-submitted keepsakes, such as messages, images, or videos, scattered throughout the world. #indiedev #gamedev #indiegame #crowdfunding #kickstarter

In the latest Elite Game Developers newsletter Edvard Groundstroem, co-founder of Flowstate Games, which shut down recently, shares his learnings. In a typical 🇫🇮 Finnish way, there's zero sugar coating. I recommend everyone to read it. Here are my three key takeaways from the interview: 1️⃣ Have a compelling strategy and adjust your work inside of it rather than pivoting to the new and shiny thing when the going gets rough. Without a strategy, you're making MVPs that lead to failing fast and pivoting too soon into the unknown. While we hear stories of pivots leading to ultimate success, the vast majority of startups (and not only startups...) pivoted themselves to death without ever building any expertise in anything. I've made this mistake multiple times before and only in my startup was I adamant never to switch genres. 2️⃣ Listen to VCs but don't take orders from them. Chasing "product-VC" fit and trying to hit their "flavor of the week KPIs" means that you've handed control of the direction of your company to an external party. I was there too thinking that VCs know it all. It wasn't until I understood that VCs give a perspective not a direction that our execution improved. Listen to VCs but remember that the ultimate decision is on you. 3️⃣ Complacency is the death of execution. Startups should be in code red until they start generating sufficient revenue. Getting funded doesn't mean you're good. It means that you have limited runway to prove you can execute. Edvard Groundstroem put it better than I ever could "Making great commercial products that can scale as a business is hard. Understanding how a game goes from good to great is instrumental, and the only way to gain insight into that is to study games that made it, as well as the ones that seemed liked they would but didn’t." This is painful to read. I've failed at instilling product expertise within everyone in the studio multiple times before thinking that if just a few key people have it, it's enough. I highly recommend Joakim Achren's Elite Game Developers newsletter to everyone working in games. 🙏 thank you Eddie for the public post-mortem! #gameindustry #gamedevelopment

🚀 Dreaming of Launching Your Own Video Game? Take a leap today with Gameosophy! 🎮 Have you ever imagined creating a video game that not only entertains but also becomes a steady source of income? I took that leap of faith a year ago and haven't looked back since! With Gameosophy, I was able to launch my own game on the play and start reaping benefits through smart ad placements. 👉 Why choose Gameosophy? Here's what got me hooked: * Over 50 high-quality, addictive games available for launch * Streamlined process for game customization and deployment * Solid support system for developers, ensuring your game reaches its potential audience This platform allowed me to transform my hobby into a profitable venture, and I believe it can do the same for you. If you've ever thought about stepping into the world of game development, now is the perfect time to explore! Explore more about how you can start your journey at 🌍 https://lnkd.in/dfkfdBQt 🌟 Interested? Let's chat in the comments! What game would you create? Or if you're already developing, share your insights! #GameDevelopment #Entrepreneurship #AdTech #MobileGaming #VideoGames 👍 Like \| 💬 Comment \| 🔗 Share \| ➡️ Visit https://lnkd.in/g_km4KUz

For Game Dev Founders: If you're a game dev startup, effective collaboration is EXACTLY what you want to create and support for the future for your studio and game. To help you out, Jim Benson and Aaron Smith and I are starting a Lean Coffee for founders in Game Dev. Jim Benson wrote the book on collaboration ("The Collaboration Equation") and the incredibly impactful "Personal Kanban". He's an expert in helping people work together well to reach difficult goals. And as I've said before, making games is HARD. He's worked in games, software, construction, government, etc. Seriously, he's one of the best at this. So, if you're interested in joining said Lean Coffee, let me know in the comments below (or send me a DM if you want to stay private). Fair warning: there will be limited space in this group! Excited to get this kicked off! #videogames #videogamestartups #founders #gameindustry

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

Dive into the world of game building and unlock a realm of entrepreneurial possibilities! 🎮💼 Indie development isn't just about creating games; it's a gateway to innovation, creativity, and lucrative ventures. From mobile apps to immersive experiences, the gaming industry offers a playground for budding entrepreneurs to thrive and succeed. Ready to turn your passion into profit? Let's build something extraordinary together! #GameDev #IndieDev #Entrepreneurship Ready to embark on your entrepreneurial journey in game development? Reach out to us today and let's bring your ideas to life! 🌟 #GameBuilders #EntrepreneurialGaming

Did you know that game building isn't just about entertainment? 🎮 It's a playground for entrepreneurship and indie development, offering boundless opportunities for creative minds! From crafting immersive narratives to coding innovative gameplay mechanics, the world of game development is ripe with chances to turn your passion into profit. Ready to level up your entrepreneurial journey? Dive into game building today! 💼💡 #GameDev #IndieDev #Entrepreneurship Ready to transform your gaming vision into a thriving business? Let's make it happen together! Reach out to us and kickstart your journey into the world of game development. #StartUpSuccess #GameBuilding

Did you know that game building isn't just about entertainment? 🎮 It's a playground for entrepreneurship and indie development, offering boundless opportunities for creative minds! From crafting immersive narratives to coding innovative gameplay mechanics, the world of game development is ripe with chances to turn your passion into profit. Ready to level up your entrepreneurial journey? Dive into game building today! 💼💡 #GameDev #IndieDev #Entrepreneurship Ready to transform your gaming vision into a thriving business? Let's make it happen together! Reach out to us and kickstart your journey into the world of game development. #StartUpSuccess #GameBuilding