From Free to Minimum Wage My Transition to Commercial Games

2 The Games In 2007, started making F2P, Flash Point and Click Adventure Games.

3 The Games In 2007, started making F2P, Flash Point and Click Adventure Games. First game “The Visitor” was a viral hit getting over 20 million plays.

4 The Games In 2007, started making F2P, Flash Point and Click Adventure Games. First game “The Visitor” was a viral hit getting over 20 million plays. Most popular series “The Several Journeys of Reemus” 5 chapters with millions of plays.

5 The Games In 2007, started making F2P, Flash Point and Click Adventure Games. First game “The Visitor” was a viral hit getting over 20 million plays. Most popular series “The Several Journeys of Reemus” 5 chapters with millions of plays. Every chapter award nominated

6 The Games In 2007, started making F2P, Flash Point and Click Adventure Games. First game “The Visitor” was a viral hit getting over 20 million plays. Most popular series “The Several Journeys of Reemus” 5 chapters with millions of plays. Every chapter award nominated Earned top spots on Kongregate and Newgrounds.

7 The Games In 2007, started making F2P, Flash Point and Click Adventure Games. First game “The Visitor” was a viral hit getting over 20 million plays. Most popular series “The Several Journeys of Reemus” 5 chapters with millions of plays. Every chapter award nominated Earned top spots on Kongregate and Newgrounds. Average rating of 4 out of 5.

The Situation Lack of replayability = limited sponsorship $$ 8

The Situation Lack of replayability = limited sponsorship $$ Sponsorships a gamble – rates varied greatly between games and seem to be declining. –March $7500 –November $6000 –June $3000 9

The Situation Lack of replayability = limited sponsorship $$ Sponsorships a gamble – rates varied greatly between games and seem to be declining. –March $7500 –November $6000 –June $3000 Time spent not worth the return, especially splitting with partner. 10

The Situation Lack of replayability = limited sponsorship $$ Sponsorships a gamble – rates varied greatly between games and seem to be declining. –March $7500 –November $6000 –June $3000 Time spent not worth the return, especially splitting with partner. Try selling direct to fans. 11

The Challenge Could I follow in the footsteps of Indie Adventure companies like Wadjet Eye? 12

The Challenge Could I follow in the footsteps of Indie Adventure companies like Wadjet Eye? Could I convert fans of free games to paid? 13

The Challenge Could I follow in the footsteps of Indie Adventure companies like Wadjet Eye? Could I convert fans of free games to paid? Would there be backlash? 14

The Plan Convert “The Several Journeys of Reemus” our most popular free series to paid. 15

The Plan Convert “The Several Journeys of Reemus” our most popular free series to paid. Avoid fan backlash - Create two games, commercial game with new story and next chapter in free flash game series. 16

The Plan Convert “The Several Journeys of Reemus” our most popular free series to paid. Avoid fan backlash - Create two games, commercial game with new story and next chapter in free flash game series. Smaller game self sponsored with ad for commercial game. 17

The Plan Convert “The Several Journeys of Reemus” our most popular free series to paid. Avoid fan backlash - Create two games, commercial game with new story and next chapter in free flash game series. Smaller game self sponsored with ad for commercial game. Started pre-orders early to help fund production. 18

The Outcome After two years of production “The Ballads of Reemus” launched January 2012 along with companion game “The Several Journeys of Reemus: Chapter 4”. 19

The Outcome After two years of production “The Ballads of Reemus” launched January 2012 along with companion game “The Several Journeys of Reemus: Chapter 4”. No backlash among the free fans. 20

The Outcome After two years of production “The Ballads of Reemus” launched January 2012 along with companion game “The Several Journeys of Reemus: Chapter 4”. No backlash among the free fans. Free game satisfied them and everyone generally excited about a longer game also being available. 21

What Went Right? We Finished it! 22

What Went Right? We Finished it! $5000 in Pre-orders helped pay for voice actors and music. 23

What Went Right? We Finished it! $5000 in Pre-orders helped pay for voice actors and music. Video diaries created hype and built community. People felt a part of the process – Helped create some hardcore fans. 24

What Went Right? We Finished it! $5000 in Pre-orders helped pay for voice actors and music. Video diaries created hype and built community. People felt a part of the process – Helped create some hardcore fans. “The Several Journeys of Reemus: Chapter 4” best episode in the series. 25

What Went Right? Free game Converted 1 in

What Went Right? Free game Converted 1 in million plays in first 3 weeks. Currently at 2.6 million plays. 27

What Went Right? Free game Converted 1 in million plays in first 3 weeks. Currently at 2.6 million plays. Based on feedback added secret side quests, mini games & achievements to help pad out the length. Made game feel more robust. 28

What Went Right? Free game Converted 1 in million plays in first 3 weeks. Currently at 2.6 million plays. Based on feedback added secret side quests, mini games & achievements to help pad out the length. Made game feel more robust. Voice acting and writing universally praised as high quality. 29

What Went Right? Sold over 3183 copies to date - still sell 1-4 copies every single day. 30

What Went Right? Sold over 3183 copies to date - still sell 1-4 copies every single day. Blackberry Playbook port resulted in surprising amount of sales –

What Went Right? Sold over 3183 copies to date - still sell 1-4 copies every single day. Blackberry Playbook port resulted in surprising amount of sales – 770 Made $30,000 in 18 months with every indication of a long sales tail. 32

What Went Wrong? No Budget - stressful production schedule. 33

What Went Wrong? No Budget - stressful production schedule. Disappearing Deadlines - production dragged as focus kept switching to paid gigs. (created 3 other client games during time). 34

What Went Wrong? No Budget - stressful production schedule. Disappearing Deadlines - production dragged as focus kept switching to paid gigs. (created 3 other client games during time). Name change was meant to differentiate between free and paid, caused more confusion. “The Several Ballads of Reemus”. 35

What Went Wrong? No Budget - stressful production schedule Disappearing Deadlines - production dragged as focus kept switching to paid gigs. (created 3 other client games during time). Name change was meant to differentiate between free and paid, caused more confusion. “The Several Ballads of Reemus” Long production timeline created hype, but short length made people wonder why it took so long and caused some disappointment. 36

What Went Wrong? Game story chopped due to time. Made game feel “small” despite being longer than free ones. 37

What Went Wrong? Game story chopped due to time. Made game feel “small” despite being longer than free ones. Free games had a much more epic story scale. ie. Death slugs invading the world vs trying to get a new bed. 38

What Went Wrong? Game story chopped due to time. Made game feel “small” despite being longer than free ones. Free games had a much more epic story scale. ie. Death slugs invading the world vs trying to get a new bed. Flash chugged as the file size hit 200mb. Large audio and cutscene files caused Flash to buckle. 39

What Went Wrong? Game story chopped due to time. Made game feel “small” despite being longer than free ones. Free games had a much more epic story scale. ie. Death slugs invading the world vs trying to get a new bed. Flash chugged as the file size hit 200mb. Large audio and cutscene files caused Flash to buckle. Performance issues with vectors and alphas. 40

What Went Wrong? Game story chopped due to time. Made game feel “small” despite being longer than free ones. Free games had a much more epic story scale. ie. Death slugs invading the world vs trying to get a new bed. Flash chugged as the file size hit 200mb. Large audio and cutscene files caused Flash to buckle. Performance issues with vectors and alphas. Lack of standard commercial design features (Standard installer, hint system) ruined chances with publishers. 41

What Went Wrong? Vector art “Flash” look meant we had to overcome “ALL FLASH SHOULD BE FREE!” stigma. 42

What Went Wrong? Vector art “Flash” look meant we had to overcome “ALL FLASH SHOULD BE FREE!” stigma. Using Flash limited ability to port game to iOS. 43

The Breakdown 44

The Conclusion Successfully converted free fans to paying customers with no backlash. 45

The Conclusion Successfully converted free fans to paying customers with no backlash. Free Chp.4 fueled all sales of commercial game - doubtful commercial game would’ve had any sales without it. 46

The Conclusion Successfully converted free fans to paying customers with no backlash. Free Chp.4 fueled all sales of commercial game - doubtful commercial game would’ve had any sales without it. With an actual budget could’ve made the game 6-8 months. 47

The Conclusion Successfully converted free fans to paying customers with no backlash. Free Chp.4 fueled all sales of commercial game - doubtful commercial game would’ve had any sales without it. With an actual budget could’ve made the game 6-8 months. When you break it down effort for Ballads of Reemus about the same per month as a sponsorship. 48

The Conclusion With more marketing muscle and tighter production schedule, commercial could have more potential. 49

The Conclusion With more marketing muscle and tighter production schedule, commercial could have more potential. Cultivating a fan base creates a much more stable market base than relying on the ever changing landscape of sponsorships. 50

The Conclusion With more marketing muscle and tighter production schedule, commercial could have more potential. Cultivating a fan base creates a much more stable market base than relying on the ever changing landscape of sponsorships. The Ballads of Reemus 2! 51