Newsgroups: comp.publish.cdrom.multimedia Path: cdrom.com!barrnet.net!sgiblab!nbn!well!pacbell.com!ihnp4.ucsd.edu!library.ucla.edu!csulb.edu!csus.edu!netcom.com!penway From: penway@netcom.com (Nick Pausback) Subject: Help with game budget Message-ID: Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 241-9760 guest) X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.2 PL1] Date: Mon, 2 May 1994 23:36:15 GMT Lines: 29 Gentlefolk, I go down to the River with the following question- I am on the verge (I hope) of signing up with a major videogame company which has indicated its willingness to bankroll my game concept (CD only). My company will be responsible for all scripting (not programming), art, 3D modeling and animation, live action and music. Our Japanese partners will be responsible for integrating all the digital content and actually programming the gameplay, as well as running the alpha and beta testing. The kindly videogame company would like to see a rough budget from us (my company) related to our areas of responsibility. The nuts and bolts are easy: We own most of the Mac equipment we need to do the CG, I know what starving freelance CG artists make,we're in Hollywood so it's easy to get quotes for a 5-10 day shoot, I'm doing all the writing and art and we have a topnotch musician on standby. The question is manifold- What is the fudge factor, the basic rule of thumb calculation used for a project like this? Figure your minimum budget if everything goes wrong and then add 50 percent? One hundred percent? What's a reasonable percentage for "profit", that magical bit of change leftover after all the bills have been paid? I feel rather strongly that the game will be a breakthrough product (of course), so should I worry more about the royalty than the advance, or take the money and run? What's a good royalty? Assuming the game company gives my company and my Japanese partner a lump sum, what is considered an equitable split between the content provider and programmer? Any relevant feedback would be greatly appreciated.