There's been a lot of talk lately about what constitutes a solid publishing deal. Hooded Horse, the publisher behind Lords of the fiefdomhas been a vocal advocate for better contracts. Earlier this year, co-founder and CEO Tim Bender said that publishers should abandon “horrible” recovery clauses to help developers and suggest companies like Hooded Horse should be judged by their failures, not their great successes.
If you can navigate the pitching slalom to finally secure a publishing deal that works for you, what happens next? Ashkan Namousi, Chief Product Officer at Hooded Horse, says developers should treat publishers like an open book. This may seem like an obvious piece of advice, but Namousi says developers often fail to make the most of deals because they’re perhaps too shy.
“The one thing I always wish developers would do is just ask,” he says, speaking to Game Developer at Gamescom 2024. “I think, especially in a new relationship, there’s a little bit of shyness maybe. A little bit of uncertainty and insecurity. That exists in any new relationship, but as a publisher we really think of ourselves as being at your service.
“We have developers who come to us and ask completely random questions like 'hey, I've had this problem with an antivirus program and I don't know how to deal with it.' We can spend five hours trying to figure out how to deal with these problems. We have a network that we can talk to. A lot of independent developers don't have that network of specialists and partners, so we can open new doors for them.”
Namousi argues that there is nothing more painful than seeing developers suffer in silence, whether from practical obstacles or contractual difficulties, simply because they are afraid to ask for help.
“We have all these skills that we can offer. I would like to see more courage. Ask [questions]. Being vulnerable,” he continues. So what should developers be asking themselves? He believes some of the biggest dilemmas facing indies include deciding when to hire, how to expand (should they hire freelancers or full-time employees?), and how to manage projects that are growing out of control.
Namousi believes that publishers can offer “qualitative and situational advice in relation to their growth and how they should approach those issues.” He agrees that deciding how, when, and indeed whether or not to scale is perhaps one of the biggest existential questions developers face in the current climate, so there's no harm in seeking another opinion.
“There's always this balance of 'should' [scale] before launch? Before I’ve secured my income. Before I’ve secured my income or know the sales trajectory of the game.’ On one hand, that’s putting the cart before the horse,” Namousi continues. He says the plan could work if it’s followed by success, but what if it doesn’t? Well, you’re in trouble.
“That's why I think we can have these conversations, and also address the financial aspects. 'You can [my publisher] help me get money? Can they provide me with the money for this or not? These are all very situational and complex conversations that we should be having.”
You can hear more from Namousi and other industry experts at latest edition of patch noteswhere we asked developers how they will survive beyond 2025 in a struggling market.