Nicola Strina

I Did Survive ‘til 25… Now What? A Start-up Retrospective

Blink Games started its game development journey in 2023, backed by a renowned animation studio, crafting high-quality indie games. “If you pitched me this 3 years ago, I would have signed it on the spot”... We heard this many times, prompting us to think that things in the industry were changing. This is the story of how we tried securing funding for our game navigating a market in decline. How we realized that big indie projects are too risky for publishers, and why validating a game idea is essential to move the conversation forward.

In this talk, you will gain an understanding of everything we learned about creating and pitching games in this economy and how we’ll iterate on our game development philosophy to adapt to an ever-changing market.

Session Takeaway

• The indie game industry isn’t dying, it’s evolving. Adapt, and you’ll thrive
• Publishers are in low-risk mode. Focus on small games, validate your idea, reduce the budget and have quick production iterations
• To validate your idea, use platforms like Itch.io. Set clear KPIs. If you hit your KPIs, congrats, the game idea is validated, if not kill it and start fresh. Rapid prototyping is the way forward
• If your game takes 3 years and 2 million in budget (especially if it’s your first game) you may want to cut, cut and cut. No one is risking this much unless you show strong KPIs that suggest a substantial return on investment. Focus on the core fun of your game and create a smaller, more focused version of your original idea. Save extra features for a possible sequel
• To further lower costs, look into government grants, tax breaks, and outsourcing
• Transmedia content is on the rise. Think about exploiting existing IPs. Building on established IPs can bring a built-in audience and lower the financial risk

Session speakers