Mark Darrah, programmer, consultant and former producer at BioWare, spoke about the difficulties of starting a development studio and explained that if your only goal is to make money, you’d better leave it alone, because you’re doomed to failure. His is not an idealistic speech, but essentially an analytical one.
According to Darrah, who talked about the topic in a video published on his YouTube channel, before starting such an adventure, you need to answer six questions:
Why do you want to open a studio? What will your studio look like? Who are you and what can you offer? When will the game be released? Where will your studio be located and what will your work style be? How will you work?
Explaining the “Why,” which is what we’re all about (the video is over an hour long and very interesting), Darrah emphasized that this reason should be personal and reflect what you want to bring to the industry. While there are enough examples of people starting a studio and then becoming rich by releasing a global hit or selling their company, it shouldn’t be the only reason for doing so. Creating the game of your dreams can be a good reason, but there has to be something else, other motivations that will keep the company afloat after the project is launched.
So if “making money” is the only reason to open a studio, it’s not enough. “Making money” can and probably should be part of the main reasons, but it doesn’t have to be the only reason. If you open a studio and you treat it as a hobby, then making money won’t be a main reason. It’s more about developing new skills and trying out a new medium.
