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Episode Name:
What It Really Takes to Launch a Game Studio
Episode Description:
A lot of developers dream of starting their own studio, but the reality is far from glamorous. In this episode, we dive deep with our guest to unpack the overlooked, gritty, and often emotional process of building a studio from scratch. From pitching to production pipelines, they’re going to share what aspiring founders need to prepare for, emotionally and operationally.
Q?Box Round Answers
Biggest gaming pet peeve?
Feature bloat. I love God of War: Ragnarok because despite being a AAA action game, it’s actually really focused on what it’s doing, except for the crafting system. The crafting system is just a store with different currencies specific to quests. Just give me the armor for doing the quest. Crafting it is an extra step that does nothing in the broader context of the game.
What’s the most helpful or impactful advice you ever received?
Talk slowly, especially when meeting new people. A teacher of mine pulled me aside at GDC, gently grabbed my shoulders and said, “Slow down” as I was talking to him. It was weirdly calming, and I respected him enough to internalize it on the spot. If you’re naturally a fast talker like me, you probably need to slow down when talking to new people.
What game are you playing now?
Dark Souls II for probably the 5th time. It’s always been good. Maybe even the best. I also regrettably still play Dota 2 and haven’t stopped in over a decade.
TIPS and ADVICE
We covered quite a bit today. Could you list 3 suggestions or tips you would recommend to indie devs based on our discussion?
- Just make games, and you’ll be a game developer. It sounds so simple and it’s impossible to internalize without experience, but my impostor syndrome lessens with each game I release. Doesn’t matter how big, how small. As long as I worked hard on it and am proud of what I did, I’m a game developer.
- Learn the business. Read Mike Futter’s books. Figure out how much your labor costs (and pay yourself well), turn that into a monthly burn rate, and figure out your game’s budget. If you’re pitching, you need to understand what exactly you’re asking for, because if you don’t then your publisher won’t.
- Track your tasks. Track your hours. Track your team’s tasks and hours. Track your spending. Track everything. The more information you have about how your game is being made, the better you can answer questions on the spot when asked. It’s a lot of work, but being prepared solves most problems.
RESOURCES and LINKS
How to get in touch with Colin McInerney
Website:
https://pedalboard.games
https://colin.how
E-mail: hello@pedalboard.games
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/colin-m-18930143/
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/pedalboard.games & https://bsky.app/profile/colin.how