NEW YEAR, NEW JOB: Setting up your own studio

Every day in January we’re helping job-hunters and employers with advice and tips from the industry’s finest developers, experts, HR specialists and recruitment execs on a range of topics.

Today we bring you essential advice on founding your own studio from some of the industry’s finest.

Five tips for setting up your own studio

• “Understand your setting up a business that makes games, not a fancy studio where you stroke your ego.”
Andrew Madden, lead artist, nDreams

• “Just do it. Borrow money from your parents or friends and go for it. Never look back.”
Mills, co-founder, UsTwo

• “Define what you are making and who you are making it for. Then question how are you going to get that product to the market.”
Andy Campbell, CEO, Specialmove

• “Try to keep things simple and agile – that is your biggest strength at the beginning. You are faster than the big companies. Keep this value as long as possible.”
Hendrik Klindworth, co-founder and managing director, InnoGames

• “Biz dev guys are paid to say ‘yes’. They will always be interested in your pitch as that is their job. If they are not talking turkey on contract terms within a month, then they are probably not going to buy your game. Move on.”
Trevor Williams, COO, Playground Games

Our daily ‘New Year, New Jobs’ series of articles are extracted from the forthcoming February issue of Develop magazine, which boasts an essential compendium of advice, tips and tricks on getting a new job and improving your employment prospects. The same issue will bring you all the results from our sweeping games industry Salary Survey. Check back with Develop Online every day this month for more.

To find out more about advertising opportunities relating to our New Year, New Job series contact Alex.Boucher@intentmedia.co.uk or call him on +44 (0) 1992 535 646.