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Everything on Playable Business, organised by topic.
Business Models
- Video Game Crowdfunding: Pledges, Rewards and Risks — Reward-based crowdfunding lets people pledge support toward a proposed game, sometimes selecting a reward such as a future game copy.
- How Video Games Get Funded Before Launch — Video games are funded through one source or a stack of self-funding, work-for-hire income, publisher advances, crowdfunding, grants or tax incentives,…
- Publisher Funding Deals: Advances, Recoupment and Rights — A publisher deal defines what a publisher funds or provides, what the developer must deliver, which rights each side controls, and how receipts are divided.
- Video Game Revenue Models: How the Main Options Work — Common video game revenue models include a one-time premium purchase, paid downloadable content, consumable and non-consumable in-game purchases,…
Production Notes
- Early Access Games: What Players and Studios Should Expect — An Early Access game is an unfinished but playable release offered while development continues.
- Game Development Stages: From Pitch to Live Support — A useful game-development map has six overlapping stages: concept, pre-production, production, validation and quality assurance, launch preparation and…
- Self-Funding an Indie Game: Cash and Capacity Planning — Start with a bounded project you can support using your own resources, then track cash availability and working time separately.
Industry Basics
- Game Developer vs Publisher: Who Does What? — A game developer builds the game: design, engineering, art, audio, production, testing, and related work.