Topic: Derrick the Deathfin comes to PC

[idolminds]

First the sad part... Released on PSN it appears to have sold less than 5,000 copies. Came out at a weird time against some other games and it didn't seem to be marketed much. Bummer.

the good news is you can buy the PC version right now for $8, DRM-free.

[Quemaqua]

Jesus. $63k in debt for a shmup about a cardboard shark? Games really are expensive these days.

[iPPi]

It takes an immense amount of time to make something good and polished, which results in one not being able to do anything else (if you want to get the project done in a timely manner).

I know many people who have wanted to start their own 'indie' development studio developing games and apps for smartphones.  It becomes a full-time job so that you cannot have an actual full-time job.  Then, once it gets released, you barely get a return on the time you've spent on it.  It's generally not a good plan.

That's why something like Kickstarter is such a good idea so that you've got the initial capital to spend on the project.

[Quemaqua]

Yeah, it's rough waters. Without a good gameplan for what to do post-release, I imagine it could easily end in disaster.

[gpw11]

It takes an immense amount of time to make something good and polished, which results in one not being able to do anything else (if you want to get the project done in a timely manner).

I know many people who have wanted to start their own 'indie' development studio developing games and apps for smartphones.  It becomes a full-time job so that you cannot have an actual full-time job.  Then, once it gets released, you barely get a return on the time you've spent on it.  It's generally not a good plan.

That's why something like Kickstarter is such a good idea so that you've got the initial capital to spend on the project.

It's pretty much the case for starting any business that doesn't have a huge financial barrier for entry (basically, you don't need a defined physical location or specialized equipment to do whatever it is you do).  It sounds super easy to start a project like this, get a construction company off the ground, or start an online store selling whatever the fuck, but in reality you're dedicating so much time to it that the opportunity cost far exceeds whatever your missing salary otherwise would be. Failure rates for businesses like these are huge...in no small part because anyone can start one up and they don't usually have the ability to procure a line of credit large enough to float them (and also usually don't go through with the steps that banks want you to do for that - like a business plan with a market analysis).

It's a tough motherfucking world out there and there's a lot of safety in just showing up to work and just grabbing that cheque.