Hi there,

I am a games disigner from the board,card, miniatures side of the industry. Have been building up a portfolio for a couple of years. Wer'e looking to put half a dozen games out over the next 24 months. Mostly crowdfunded. ( Kickstarter.)

6 months ago I had a conversation with large firm in the UK regarding a computer game disign and licensing thier IP. They asked me to put a pitch together.

I managed to find a developer who had a few mates in the industry who he roped into helping, but after a few weeks this fell apart. No blame in any direction, it just fizzled. I have a great product idea with no way to realise it, and have run out of contacts in the industry.

I would greatly appreciate any advice on how to go about getting a prototype together.

Thanks

Mark

If you don't have the skills to develop the game prototype yourself, you'll have to pay for other people to develop it, or have such an impressive portfolio that you attract people to work for free initially, with the promise of future profits.

Professionals usually get the job done, but you generally need to pay at least something up front, because their livelihood is tied to the work. Some developers may work initially for free, but if you don't promise anything concrete, you do run into the risk of losing them without notice; they are not obligated to work for you, because you are not obligated to pay for them.

Depending on which of these is your approach, you could post in "help wanted" (if seeking free help) or "classifieds" (if seeking professional help for a fee).

Finally, everyone has ideas. Even if you have the greatest game idea ever, it is the execution of the idea that matters.

I'd be willing to work for free for a short while, but just as Nik said. You need an impressive portfoilo. In my case, you need a master I can learn from, so I can build my own portfolio.

I would greatly appreciate any advice on how to go about getting a prototype together.

you're going to need a coder. and an artist.

buy, or learn to do yourself, those are the basic choices.

if you choose to learn to do it yourself, you'll find lots of help here on gamedev.

half a dozen games out over the next 24 months

Your future holds difficulty.

Wer'e looking to put half a dozen games out over the next 24 months. Mostly crowdfunded. ( Kickstarter.)

Lmao, 2 years is very little time to spend on ONE game.

This sounds like a Chinese factory for games. They just pump them out, with no regards to quality. Not to say quality stuff doesn't come out of China

Lmao, 2 years is very little time to spend on ONE game.

Depends on the game. 6 in 24 months doesn't sound unreasonable for a skilled team.

Many small but high quality games, such as can be found on mobile devices or game console marketplaces, can be completed in a few months of total work effort. A team of 4 could realistically put out 6 high quality games in 24 months, releasing something every 4 calendar months.

Lmao, 2 years is very little time to spend on ONE game.

Depends on the game. 6 in 24 months doesn't sound unreasonable for a skilled team.

Many small but high quality games, such as can be found on mobile devices or game console marketplaces, can be completed in a few months of total work effort. A team of 4 could realistically put out 6 high quality games in 24 months, releasing something every 4 calendar months.

Not very likely to happen though, considering he's got no money to pay freelancers, and has no people willing to commit.

Where is the link to your portfolio?

board,card, miniatures side of the industry. Have been building up a portfolio for a couple of years. Wer'e looking to put half a dozen games out over the next 24 months

Allow me to suggest, if the goal is to translate physical games, Card, or Board, into a digital game format, that you specify that when seeking assistance in getting it done.
It is a vastly simpler, and cheaper task than building a video game from an idea.

A new game is a programming task, with art and sound elements.
A physical game made digital is an art task, with code and sound elements.

Crowdfunding a game is not as easy as it used to be.
Those still succeeding at it tend to be those with a very strong, unique selling point, a good amount of sample/demo material to view, and at least one staff member the target gamer group recognizes as capable.
I am not saying it can't be done, or that you shouldn't try, but that it is probably not a viable means of getting several games funded in the course of 2 years.