[IGDA_indies] Pyrogon Postmortem

[Brian Hook]

> The only thing missing was your foray into cell phone games (which
> would probably have been the next step for you if you had
> continued) and then you would have ended up in the same position in
> that market as well.

Exactly.  At some point I "grew up" and realized that chasing the same 
avalanches that everyone else were chasing was a recipe for 
frustration, particularly in markets where excellence isn't a 
differentiating factor -- and let's be clear, in the world of 
downloadable games and wireless, the actual quality of a game doesn't 
really make a huge difference to your bottom line.  Too much of the 
revenue is tied up by the distribution channels, and you have little 
control over marketing.

The exception to this is if you go hardcore indie and distribute 
yourself and through shareware sites instead of trying to partner with 
a portal, but this isn't practical if you're doing it full time 
because it's a slow burn method for acquiring customers.  The guys who 
have done this successfully started off in their dorm rooms or part 
time and only went full time AFTER they had built up their business so 
that it was self-sustaining.  That's not how I entered the market.

> I have a few questions for you.  If you have the time, please give
> me a call.

Send me a direct e-mail if you want and we can chat off-line.

Brian