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Companies accepting submissions

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Anonymous

Is it typical that I sent a brief description of our game and stated we have a small run of them which we self published ready that the company gets back to us with a Non Disclosure agreement and wants the prototype sent to them for evaluation???

Is this the typical conventional route?

I have taken another route for getting our games out there as was told that the way I am doing things is not the normal process but since it is working for us and our games that use our way. I am asking about taking the normal route as I was asked by a company for our game after I went our own route in the time I was waiting back for their reply. I would like to see how others do it or what the typical as conventional route others have done and had success with.

Anonymous
Companies accepting submissions

There is an older article here on bgdf, I think in Ask The Experts that describes the process. Basically the gist was that you should send a summary, then get paperwork to sign and after that send in a prototype. Sounds pretty strange to me, but apparently that's how it works.

zaiga
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Joined: 12/31/1969
Companies accepting submissions

Cross_ wrote:
There is an older article here on bgdf, I think in Ask The Experts that describes the process. Basically the gist was that you should send a summary, then get paperwork to sign and after that send in a prototype. Sounds pretty strange to me, but apparently that's how it works.

There are as many submission processes as there are game publishers, but yeah, that's basically how it usually works. Why does it sound strange to you?

Anonymous
Companies accepting submissions

Iguess it was more of an off guard ting then a strange way.

I sent this out as one of my first ones and didnt get a response it was about a month ago. Thanks

Lor
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Joined: 12/31/1969
Companies accepting submissions

Some ruminations...

There are very few companies which accept over-the-transom-- most require agency or referrals.

The first one I tried (and yes, they passed-- "looks like fun, not a good fit with us") is University Games, San Francisco. They're on the web at www.universitygames.com. They've even taken over a childhood favorite, ColorForms!!-- and they provide a web submission form.

About two months after you send it, they'll write you back a one paragraph letter, "send it" or "we pass." They're always overworked and understaffed. getting to final review is tough.

I sent in the standard web release form like everybody, but I also went in through a professional associate who licensed with them, so at least it got reviewed by the big cheese, with signed letter to prove it and the possibility of revisiting the product as they expand into more adult-oriented fare. That's heartening.

UG is rare, however, among established players. Over the transom is less rare among smaller outfits looking to expand their lines and reach. You have to admire any outfit willing to publish completely new ideas, but that's how many new games reach the world.

Companies have to go through thousands of submissions to find a few gems. It almost makes you want to self-publish.

PENTE is an example of self-publish that worked. Entrepreneur sold editions out of the back of a pizza truck to his own college crowd- he knew the market. Became Oklahoma Small Businessman of the Year. Got the attention of Parker Borthers and the rest is history. Great story.

You have to prove the market. THEN you submit, with ammunition.

So make the entire process fun and don't hang your whole life on it. Make the design fun, make the testing and refinement fun, make the production prototype fun and even throw some money at it... but prove the market. We are all futurists until we prove the market with our ideas.

It's ironic but... if the game takes off under your own efforts, you may not WANT to submit! The royalty is usually paltry, 5-10%. Believe me, if the game makes noise, they'll come a-knocking. Give yourself five years to grow a winner. Make you rinvestment back and get into profit. Oh, yes, they will almost certainly find you.

However, if you crank out fabulous new designs once a week, like Edison, then of course, you're a submission freak. You need a real agent who knows the majors. Something may hit! You might get an option, a development deal, just like selling a screenplay. But if you've been coddling one or two items over years, it almost makes sense to launch it yourself, as inexpensively as possible. This website is all over that subject.

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