Something someone mentioned on #gamedev got me thinking... THERE IS NOT A SMALL PUBLISHER FOR STRATEGY GAMES. Is this really true? It sure seems to be, but if so its crazy. After all, strategy games aren''t THAT much harder to code than 3D shooters, they don''t require lots of graphic or art assets, just lots of patience in design (something semi-pro/hobbyist developers have in spades), so you would think there would be a thriving budget/indie strategy market, but from what I can see there isn''t.If you want to code a tedious space-invaders clone or simplistic puzzle game, there are publishers everywhere, but just you try finding a publisher for a civilisation clone for example... I''m about to unleash my own strategy effort (www.positech.co.uk/starlines) and it occurs to me that it dosen''t have that much company. Am I wrong here, and there aren''t any small developers making strategy titles except yours truly? or am I wrong and are their dozens of established publishers and developers hidden away somewhere? indie strategy publishers unite etc... I feel a web-ring or other grouping coming on someday... http://www.positech.co.uk

If you ask me there is not a very big market for strategy games in the value market. People that buy value software are more interested in arcade titles. At least this is what I believe, correct me if I am wrong.
Well, next year I might make a RPG. Dunno. I need an artist for the fantasy pictures (I can only do spaceships and special effects myself, which are not the thing you want to see in a Fantasy RPG eh?). But this is another topic...

Should I feel slighted and ignored???

Our game, Artifact, is a small-budget strategy game. We published it ourselves, though, so maybe that''s why we weren''t considered...

In any case, I do know that Geoff Howland of Lupine Games has had a couple of small strategy games published by value publishers (I forget which publishers, though): Hatfields & McCoys, and Fire Fighter. So it is possible to get small strategy games published.

And since Jester101 mentioned market size, I seem to recall that sales of Geoff''s 2 games were pretty respectable. Not bestsellers, obviously, but multiple ten''s of thousands of units.


DavidRM
Samu Games

As I said I dunno. I just thought about the typical budget buyer and I thought he might be more attracted by easy to learn and well known arcade game types.

Btw David, what kind of server do you have for your Artifact game? I am looking for a cheap way to get an own server for projects like that. Any ideas of how to get such a cheap server space?

theoretically a buyer of budget games isnt neccesarily a casual or inexperienced gamer. I am more likely to buy a £20 game (as i did starfleet command) than a £35 one.
the problem is the popular impression that cheaper games just arent as good. I suppose we all see £10 games as by definition being older and thus not as good (graphically). Maybe thats not so true of the strategy gamer though (i hope). After all, civilisation always had pretty basic graphics didnt it?
The thing is the game that was described was an online game, well suited to online promotion. Im still hoping someone will post a success story of an indie strategy game that reached store shelves.

http://www.positech.co.uk