February 21, 2007
In response to MMO != VC
Over on Terra Nova.com, Dan Hunter commented on the sad state of funding for online games.
It frustrated me because the MMO development as a whole suffers from the scarcity of funding. Since I consult for one of the few venture groups that actually funds MMOs, I get a chance to talk to MMO developers. Specifically, I spend a lot of time hearing one thing: “VCs and I.Banks don’t get us.” I am a gamer. I want people to understand the industry. I want my colleagues to get the MMO industry, so they fund good games.
Obviously, this topic keenly interests me, as Heatwave is considering taking on some external funding in the near future.
Part of the problem is that MMO Companies aren't great at having a strong business plan that VC's can understand. I think this is widely true of the game industry in general. It's also a hit driven business and unlikely to support as many companies as the forecasted market numbers may indicate at first blush.
To complicate matters, it's really really difficult to find developers that actually have all of the right components put together for a likely successful liquidation event. I can't fathom the number of online games that I evaluated last year that were non-starters within 15 minutes. Wrong idea, wrong staff, wrong business plan, wrong technology...
MMOGs are hard. Perhaps the hardest thing to do in this business. I imagine it's a scary place for traditional VC's and banks to find success. I can only think of one major exit of an MMO company, and that's EA's purchase of Mythic. I'm sure there are others, and yes the industry is young.
In all honesty, I've assumed from the beginning that we'd get our funding from non-traditional sources. Mostly because of the kinds of stories many game developers tell of the difficulties associated with traditional VC's. Control issues and external pressures don't always mesh well with a highly creative, iterative process. So it's possible the problem goes both ways. MMO companies may not want VC funding in the first place.
Well, anyway, there's my perspective. I too bemoan the lack of funding in the game industry, but I also believe that it takes a special kind of backer to understand what it takes to find success in the MMO business. If you know any of those folks, feel free to send 'em my way ;).
Posted by SunSword at 01:46 AM | Comments (0)
February 18, 2007
I really was a child actor...if you call it acting...
So...remember THIS post?
Well...just to confirm some of what I said...I give you me. In the '80s. *sigh*
Here's the link.
Will I ever live this down? No.
The commercial was an all day shoot, the day before thanksgiving. I got paid $600 to do it, and most of the day was spent playing video games while waiting for the crew to setup the shot. The most memorable thing about this experience? Playing the stand up version of "Discs of Tron" for about 2 straight hours. Awesome.
Posted by SunSword at 09:32 PM | Comments (1)
February 07, 2007
I feel a Heatwave comin' on... (holy cr4p, what have I done???)
The past two or three weeks have been incredibly busy and because of the nature of that bustle, I really haven't had much opportunity to talk about what I'm up to.
Last month, I blathered on about how I was going to make some big changes and things are going to change. I was serious.
Last Friday was my last day at Codemasters. I've started a new company called "Heatwave Interactive, Inc.", as a vehicle to bring great games to the masses and "right" some of the "wrongs" in the games business. Currently, Heatwave only has a few employees, but we've already landed our first contract for a major client. What are these great games you ask? How about those wrongs? And can I really do anything about them?
I'll get to that. But first, let me give you a little context for what my life is like in this transition.
Codemasters & England. My family and I really are very sad to be leaving England so soon. We firmly expected to be there at least three years. We've had an amazing time. We've travelled all over the UK and parts of Europe. The kids have been exposed to a very different way of life, and as a family we've had to adapt to some pretty significant lifestyle changes (family of six with no car for 5 months...). The people at Codemasters are fantastic. Along with some great professional contacts, I've made what I hope are lifelong friends. In particular, the Codemasters Online Gaming (COG) division are an inspiring group of people, weathering very difficult conditions for a vision they believe in (not to mention holding up the banner for online gaming's "forgotten continent").
I'll miss you guys.
Heatwave & Austin. So, as of Friday, I've been phoneless and computerless. That's been rough. Particularly since I've been travelling quite a bit in the US. At the moment I'm in Austin, Texas doing a little house shopping and getting some fundamentals set up. Over the next month or so, I'll move the family and get into the groove with our new client. Also, we've got some corporate branding coming along, and of course a website (the current domain is purely a placeholder). I've got a great partner in a gentlemen named Donn Clendenon, who I've been working with "virtually" for a while. We've also got some very talented folks working with us on various parts of the business. I can't wait to tell you a little more about that in the near future. So far, it's been one of the coolest experiences of my creative/professional life.
Over the next week, I'll address the "rights" and "wrongs," the reason for choosing Austin as our base of operations, the motivations behind the name "Heatwave Interactive," and other various topics as they arise.
Anyway, this is just a quick update to say, I'm dead serious. I'm a man with a family of six with a good salary and I just quit my job. Serious coolness will result.
One last thing, I'm considering doing some "reality blogging" about what it's like to start a new company, or more specifically, a new game company. There are a lot of implications to consider, but very few people have an idea of what it's like to start a business, much less a game company. Am I crazy enough to let the Intarweb vote on our company logo? What about which game project we should do first? Is that pure insanity? I'd be interested to hear your thoughts about that.
Peace.
Posted by SunSword at 03:19 PM | Comments (1)
January 20, 2007
My mother's latest novel in a bookstore near you!
I have an amazing family. Really. I've been blessed.
As some of you may know, my mother is a professional author with over 30 published works. Her latest novel, Icing on the Cake is in stores now! It falls into the "chick lit" category, or more to her preference, "literary fiction." I remember listening to her brainstorm on the phone about his book, and how personal some of it was. The initial reviews are great. If you're one of those guys looking for a great MMO post, point your girlfriend/wife to this one for me, would you? :)
When Liz Talbot's husband left her for a woman half her age, Liz put all her passions into her bakery. The problem is that fad diets and fitness crazes are ruining sales and she's barely staying afloat. Liz's luck seems to be changing when her ex dies without changing his will, leaving her the main beneficiary. Unfortunately one of the things she inherits is the advertising agency she left behind to pursue her dream of baking. Her partner? The newly widowed husband stealer--Brandi, with a heart over the i. As the new co-owner of Talbot Advertising, in the toilet since the death of her ex (that's right, she's now the proprietor of two failing businesses), Liz is more determined than ever to break out and make a name for herself as an artisan baker extraordinaire, providing her products can catch the eye of the Nabisco Food scout who is as elusive as he is mysterious.
Obligatory Amazon.com link. 5 Stars!
Posted by SunSword at 02:40 PM | Comments (0)
January 15, 2007
Something facinating and something stupid
From Reuters, India: This article shows you what you'll find if you head off the beaten track from western headlines.Clad in a saffron robe, Gyaltsen left Tibet in July 2005 and crossed Nepal before reaching Bihar.
He lies horizontally on the ground with his hands outstretched, utters a sacred Buddhist verse before getting up to walk to the point where his hands had extended. He then repeats the same exercise, covering a distance of 7 km a day.
Only 22 days left to reach Bodh Gaya...amazing.
And now for something stupid...
Your results:
You are Lex Luthor
|
A brilliant businessman on a quest for world domination and the self-proclaimed greatest criminal mind of our time! |
Go figure...I was hoping for Kingpin.
Posted by SunSword at 03:43 PM | Comments (1)
February 20, 2006
American Gods
Lastnight I finished up American Gods by Neil Gaman. This is a very popular book having won many awards and I was quite looking forward to it. However, I felt somewhat let down after I turned the last page.
The book contains excellent characters based on some interesting historical and mythological tidbits, as well as a plot with an decent if not unsurprising twist.
Unfortunately it fell flat for me, while I thought the main character Shadow was interesting, I didn't really care about him other than to feel sorry for him. He didn't change really, he didn't overcome anything, he just was. And in the end, he wasn't much of anything.
With the title "American Gods" and all the hype surrounding the book, I suppose I was looking for something more earth-shattering. Perhaps a fundamental change in the way we think about deities. Alas, it's nothing more than a bit of a mythological suspense-thriller.
I won't say "don't read it," but if you do, be prepared to be immersed in a dark world filled with a poorly developed cast of mythological misfits.
Posted by SunSword at 02:44 AM | Comments (0)