Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!cbmvax!campbell
From: campbell@cbmvax.UUCP (John Campbell SW)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Questions, questions...
Message-ID: <3002@cbmvax.UUCP>
Date: 22 Dec 87 21:40:15 GMT
Organization: Commodore Technology, West Chester, PA
Lines: 54
Summary: Game Market

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Reply-To: campbell@cbmvax.UUCP (John Campbell SW)
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Organization: Commodore Technology, West Chester, PA
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In response to a number of individuals who have asked about the
marketing of recreational software, I have some opinions on the matter.

I would suggest that you solicit interest from the "top" companies, i.e.
the EAs, Activisions, etc...   At the same time you should be cognizant
that each company has certain strongsuits (be it a category like Gamestar
for sports simulations or Microprose for air simulations, or specific
function like EA for merchandising).
 
Each company has weaknesses also, for instance one company may not
advertise much or one company may copy-protect everything to death, 
possibly hurting sales.

In short, the company best to deal with depends on both your product and
your demeanor.  Your product may not need much advertising, or may be
certain niche, and maybe you like a certain type of contractual agreement.

As far as submitting your product, you may find it necessary to protect
your work with legal documentation, but I have never heard of a major
company stealing work.  It would be somewhat suicidal.  I would
recommend that you not send just a letter, many companies find it 
difficult to send every submitter an authors guidebook, etc...  They
are much more likely to respond if they have some indication that you
have produced some marketable program.  In this way, tapes are an
expensive but somewhat sensible starting point if you are concerned
about illegal copies.  An alternative method is to number your diskette
in the code, and tell the publisher that you did this.  The reviewer
will automatically be more careful with disseminating copies.

You can't review a videotape game (because of gameplay), so that method
does cause time delays.

Finally, it is foolish to guess royalties on an imaginary game.  Usually it
is some advance against royalties plus some fixed %.  Generally these two
are inversely related (the more the advance the less the %).

Sorry for the long response.

John

Commodore Intl.

Commodore pays me to make decisions, not opinions.  Opinions I make for
free, but sometimes you get what you pay for.  The opinions are therefore
mine and not Commodore's.