Hello,

My questions in this days of medium size to big mega-companies, is it possible for a lone developer to come up with original ideas without getting muzzled out by these bigger companies due to their massive resources? While the lone developer is trying to get off the ground slowly and gradually?

I'm not just referring games here but also including other software products in general (noting that its impossible to get IP for pure software - even if it is, it would be too expensive for the lone poor but creative developer to start and maintain lawsuits. i.e. Apple, Samsung, google, Microsoft are protecting their products and suing each other because they can afford it)

I have brained-stormed gaming ideas in the past but my ideas never really seemed original enough to excite me -every genre seem very competitive. Then I shifted away from games (but using same skills-set) then (light-bulbs) and great ideas started coming. But there are lots sad stories around of real creative people muzzled off.

So how do people here see this issue? Or if i am missing the point how does it work?

thanks

The key is to understand that the AAA games produced by big companies are vulnerabilities of at least 20 million, and comfortably north of 50 million for the big titles. These things need to make back their large investment, reliably, in order to be worth doing in the first place. So major companies' productions are carefully assessed for market, risk, marketing, etc and set up appropriately. They're almost universally unwilling to take risks on new stuff that is niche, arthouse, creative, etc. That's simply not their role.

It's where our role as indies starts. The big team sizes work against the corporate productions in many ways. The biggest indie successes happen when taking things in a completely different direction, one that would have never been greenlit for a full scale production in the first place. Probably the most powerful modern example is Minecraft. Can you imagine that being created by a major company? No way would any publishing exec sign off on that.

Think waaaaay outside the box.

1. is it possible for a lone developer
2. to come up with original ideas
3. without getting muzzled out by these bigger companies due to their massive resources? While the lone developer is trying to get off the ground slowly and gradually?

1. Anything is possible.
2. Ideas are easy. Original ideas are a bit less easy.
3. Question unclear. It's possible. Ideas aren't enough. Got a business plan? You need a business idea and a businesslike approach and a business plan.

You won't beat the big guys by playing their game -- they're expertly structured to thrive in that competitive environment and have the resources necessary to do so. But, as in evolution, they're a kind of creature that's over-specialized at doing what they do such that they have trouble doing anything else -- they rule the oceans, but they walk dry land about as well as you'd expect of a fish.

So build your camp on dry land and do the things that a big studio cannot do. You'll face other competition for sure, but at least you'll be playing a game you can make a reasonable go at.

3. Question unclear. It's possible. Ideas aren't enough....

Actually i have gone beyond the business plan stage...

I mean with your idea you haven't got the funds to fully develop and mass-market it. So with the aim of developing further in versions/sequels, you release a watered-down version (so the idea is out), which means the rich guys (big companies) with the huge marketing resources see the idea and your toil becomes their gain

welOhim, on 21 Jan 2015 - 11:44 PM, said:
1. is it possible for a lone developer
2. to come up with original ideas
3. without getting muzzled out by these bigger companies due to their massive resources? While the lone developer is trying to get off the ground slowly and gradually?

Actually the way you split up and rewrite the question has completely mis-interpreted my questions. I wasn't asking if it is possible for a lone developer to come up with original ideas

So build your camp on dry land and do the things that a big studio cannot do.

Easier said than done. I can't imagine what a lone developer can do that big studio can't

Generally good point!

I can't imagine what a lone developer can do that big studio can't

Start here. Then unleash your imagination...

I can't imagine what a lone developer can do that big studio can't

The big studios can't take the risk...

If it helps, don't think of it as what big studios can't do, but instead what they won't do; of course they are capable of making all of the games that have been mentioned in the technical sense, but they won't take the risk on an unproven or unusual idea.

The more interesting question is how to acquire an unusual idea in the first place. I feel like the hobbyist and indie world is split in two major and one small group:

Those who have unusual, cool ideas, but are unable to implement them.

Those who have no innovative ideas, but would be able to implement them.

And a very small group of those who have both. Those are the guys that can actually live off of their work as indies (if they somehow manage to get the business part right, too).