Game Design Secrets

Pitching Publishers: Who Buys/Publishes Indie Games and Why

Many of Facebook’s top game makers often form publishing partnerships with low-budget indie game developers, cross-promoting their titles to their large existing player base. Sometimes, the publisher prefers to buy the smaller developer outright and bring the developing team into the fold. Here’s a sample of top developers and what they’re looking for.

6waves

Josh Burns, Associate Director, Products at 6waves, estimates the company has published over 75 Facebook games from developers from all over the world.

“We generally do not look to acquire specific Facebook games, but there is always the possibility,” he told me. “Unlike many publishers, we aren’t looking for a certain type of game, as our goal is to create a network of games that will have multiple titles that will appeal to any one user, which means that we aren’t expecting every single game to appeal to all users and be a mass market hit. Many games will only appeal to a certain demographic or affinity group, and we understand that. What we are looking for is a high-quality title that will appeal and engage some segment of users, but will also monetize successfully through virtual goods under the free-to-play model. There aren’t any specific types of game design or gameplay features that we want to see, rather [we want to see] that the developer has created a compelling experience for users via the game’s design and features.”

To arrange a pitch meeting with ...