Hiya,

I was wondering, what's the name of a person who handles the games sent to that publisher?

For example, if I had a number of HTML5 games, I'd contact someone at a publisher and send them out. 

But how is this 'someone' called? Or are there multiple functions behind this? E.g. a representative who handles the contact, and someone who tests the games, etc.

It seems like an interesting position to handle contact with game developers and testing games. If someone has any experience in this particular position, I'd also be happy to hear about it as well.

Thanks!

- R

5 hours ago, Rudolf85 said:

For example, if I had a number of HTML5 games, I'd contact someone at a publisher and send them out. But how is this 'someone' called?

There are a variety of titles for the person you're describing, Rudolf. Could be the New Business Director, or the Vice President of Business Development, or Submissions Director... Maybe at some companies, you'd need to go through the Studio Head (the person at the top of development). Not all companies have a person by this title, and you'd have to talk to someone higher up.

5 hours ago, Rudolf85 said:

It seems like an interesting position to handle contact with game developers and testing games.

Not sure what you're saying. Those different titles I mentioned would not have anything to do with testing. And not all of them would normally have much to do with developers except look at their submissions. And truthfully, most publishing companies don't look at outside submissions. Are your games online already? Get them noticed, and figure out how to make sure the publisher notices the reactions your games are getting. Make yourself a must-have (an attractive acquisition).

I think I see what you mean by 'test the games', bubt I don't believe that is what that position does. Publishing companies will usually be ccontacted by a hopeful game director/marketting team member, who will only have a prototype/video to demonstrate during a pitch. It depends on how early in development they are. But they don't have a guy looking through submissions and testing out half-finished games and saying 'this one was fun'. Its more about boring marketting/business stuff. 

On 11/13/2019 at 3:58 AM, casualghost said:

Publishing companies will usually be ccontacted by a hopeful game director/marketting team member, who will only have a prototype/video to demonstrate during a pitch.

That is somewhat accurate for a tiny minority of games.

In most situations the publishers say "We have a project that needs making, we'll bid it out."

Groups can pitch a game to a publisher, but that is often done because you need a publisher as part of your own company's business development, which is neither a game developer nor marketing team action. You bring them a completed or nearly completed game, and they reject it. Then you bring it to another publishing company, and they also reject it. Repeat until all the publishing companies have rejected it, or someone is willing to work with you.

Publishers aren't in the business of giving out money to other companies. Publishers are there to help bridge a gap. If you need a publisher you're going to pay for their services, usually as a cut of the money brought in.

The name for that person is often business development director, or it's a task done by the executives and founders of tiny startups before they hire development directors. 

A business development role needs to know relatively little about the game development process, they're far more about the people and contract side of the business world.  They're the ones who wine and dine potential business relations, work with lawyers, and don't really do much for day-to-day game development.  They're still critical for the business, but much like accountants and lawyers and HR and cleaning crews, they're important but not for game development tasks.

Something frob says above suggests an important thought: if you first get some development work for a publisher, then after you've done a great job developing that publisher-requested content, that publisher will be more receptive to looking at your own concepts. The longer you've been developing publisher-requested content, and the more publishers for whom you've done good work, the greater your chances of having your concepts looked at seriously. 

Hello guys,

I'm not sure if I explained my question correctly.

I was actually more aiming to HTML5 games, you know, really small games. I imagine game companies like Softgames and such receive many submissions a day. I was just wondering what the job title of the contact person was at such game companies. 

Like I said, things will occur like game evaluation and price negotiation, things like that. Unsure if the same contact does both things.

Hope it's more clear now. Sorry if I made it confusing

5 hours ago, Rudolf85 said:

I imagine game companies like Softgames and such receive many submissions a day. I was just wondering what the job title of the contact person was at such game companies. 

You have gotten answers to that question. 

5 hours ago, Rudolf85 said:

Like I said, things will occur like game evaluation and price negotiation, things like that. Unsure if the same contact does both things.

Most likely yes.

But "game evaluation" does not mean playtesting. Such a person's "evaluation" would be about numbers: how many players the game had already attracted, for instance.

On 11/19/2019 at 4:00 PM, Tom Sloper said:

You have gotten answers to that question.

I guess so, I just find it hard to believe that any 'director' will be busy all day handling all that. I'll bet these large HTML5 publishers receive lots of submissions every day. I assumed someone more lower on the corporate ladder would take care of that. Unless these companies only have a small, handfull of employees.

22 minutes ago, Rudolf85 said:

I just find it hard to believe that any 'director' will be busy all day handling all that.

I doubt a Biz Dev person would spend all day every day reviewing submissions. Seeking acquisition targets is a more important activity that takes up more time. And there are other duties as well - licensing in, licensing out, and other types of partnerships.

23 minutes ago, Rudolf85 said:

I'll bet these large HTML5 publishers receive lots of submissions every day.

I doubt that the submissions process is unmanageable. And a Biz Dev person could hire an assistant if it was unmanageable solo.

More likely, most of the submission process is either replying "thanks but we don't accept submissions" or "don't call us, we'll call you."