Yellow Brick Games Inc.’s Post

Unity’s newly-revised pricing plan is here. What does it mean for your studio? Let me know in the comments, and get a full breakdown of the changes here: https://lnkd.in/exXXfU6A

Unity recently made a significant change in price, but failed to test its potential impact on users beforehand. As a result, a few vocal influencers expressed their concerns, prompting Unity to retract and make a change. This situation highlights the importance of transparency and addressing user needs. No matter where your place in the market, customer is king. Sneaking up on your users is never a good idea. Ambush, and dictatorial announcements = lost market share and reduced revenue for the mothership. The cool thing about software these days is that the newest versions suffer from feature creep and bloatware. Functionality doesn’t demand complexity. Prior iterations are viable for complete production. For instance I still like Unity 5 - as do many other devs. Mature offerings beware. Listen up Apple. Google. Amazon. Microsoft. United States.gov #UserExperience #Transparency #CustomerFeedback

I LOVE my line of work and key skill set which is: Enablement. Via PjM, Scrum, getting coffee or taking the fall I employ any tactic it takes. But every single one falls apart as soon as strategic leaders, stakeholders and sponsors think they have more time or insight than they do. So I implore any executive or strategic leader seeing this to read what Greg has to say. It's so so easy to unintentionally hamstring the people and projects you're responsible for. #GetOutOfTheWay

A player on Twitter asked me why I had confidence in my current studio and game. I figured my answer might be more dev-focused than plaer-focused, so I thought I would share it here. I should also add that while I am critical of MSFT, ATVI and Riot down below, they were still great places to work and I am fortunate to have stayed at each for many years. That said, almost every frustration I’ve had in my career is from upper management not being aligned, but also too busy and distracted to have time to get aligned. And I get it - they have a studio / company to run. They should be busy! But they should also be honest about that and get out of the way of the creatives to actually create. Too often in this industry, someone has a breakout success (often totally earned) but then gets this hubris of “Clearly it’s me. Clearly what I touch turns to gold.” This is followed quickly by panic. “What if I’m not paying enough attention and the creatives create something bad?” So they get caught in this cycle of not having enough time OR context to focus on the games while running the business but not having enough trust or faith to get out of the way. So the engine stalls and everyone gets frustrated. I should caveat this was my experience at MSFT, ATVI and Riot. I have never been truly indie or startup so the vibe might very different. Anyway, my commitment to my current team is that I will game direct for now, but as soon as my bandwidth, focus, or context starts to be a problem, I will step aside and just run the studio. And I am trusting them to let me know when that happens. I am also not say you should be 100% laissez faire with your creative team. But you need to trust them, and you should never ever be a bottle neck. I have had so many experiences where I needed to score a meeting with X to get approval to move forward, but then X was unavailable for two weeks, and when we finally have the meeting, we realize that we also need Y in the room, and Y is travelling and now we need another meeting in two more weeks. You see the problem. If you are running a team, studio, or company, presumably (or let's hope!) it's because you are good at that. Trust your art lead, game lead, production lead etc. to be good at their jobs too. If you find they aren't good at their jobs, that's a performance problem and should be managed accordingly. You aren't going to put up guard rails against bad decisions by constantly making them seek approval. Yes, there is a lot of risk inherent to this business. I get it. But the solution there is to have mitigation plans for that risk (and let's hope your mitigation tool box is more robust than "layoffs"), not to somehow create an environment where no risk exists. Happy end of the year, everyone!

Dear Game Dev, While working on your game projects, it is possible you desire to use a copyrighted material from another game dev without seeking their permission. However, fairness must be ensured in such use. The metrics for determining fair use vary across different countries, but here are key ones: 🎮: the purpose and character of the use. For example: was there a significant alteration to the copied content? 🎮: the nature of the copyrighted work used i.e. whether it's a highly creative work or a factual/non-fictional material. 🎮: the portions of the copyrighted material used. Using a smaller portion would be of advantage. 🎮: effects on market value of the original work. Conflicts over fair use can jeopardize your brand reputation in several ways: 🎮: Negative media coverage can damage your public image. 🎮: Building trust and securing partnerships becomes challenging in an industry that thrives on collaboration. To avoid these risks, consider the following best practices: 🎮: aim for transformative use of the original IP by adding new meaning, context or value to it. 🎮: obtain explicit permission or a license to use third-party IP. 🎮: consider creating original content to enhance the uniqueness and originality of your game. 🎮: Regularly consult with an IP professional who has specialized knowledge of the industry. I hope this helps. Credit: Juego Studios #deargamedev #gamedev #indiedev #gamebusiness #gamedevelopment #videogamesip #gamesindustry

I think Unity is doing the right thing: setting out a base expectation and model to use as a starting point when negotiating with the various sections in their ecosystem. Obviously free to play will need different kinds of discounts / support than multi-platform console titles (where you may be able to transfer your install). Unity is no stranger to collaboration, I believe they encouraged developers to reach out so they can start to scale their business development support (on top of their existing technical support).

Now this is called unity in a real sense.

The Challenging Journey of Black Sail Studio - Balancing Creativity & Platform Policies 👋 Dear LinkedIn Network, At Black Sail Studio, our journey over the past four years has been nothing short of a roller coaster, full of ups and downs, successes and setbacks. Today, I would like to share with you some of our experiences as we navigate the complex landscape of creative freedom, platform guidelines, and public opinion. 🎮 **Our Latest Project: A Wolfenstein / 40k Crossover -rts / fps** We are currently developing a groundbreaking video game slated for release in July 2025. The game pushes the boundaries of storytelling by featuring a unique and intense plot that makes even the challenges in Wolfenstein look pale by comparison. However, the content of the game has posed us some challenges. 🚫 **The Platform Struggles** Four years ago, we initiated a promotional event called "WulfCon" to generate buzz around our crossover game. Our promotional videos were designed to reflect the spirit of the game but ended up resulting in our YouTube channel being banned for hate speech violations. And it didn't stop there; we also lost three promotional TikTok channels, each with high engagement and substantial advertising investments. 🎯 **The Dilemma: Creativity vs. Guidelines** It raises an important question for all of us in the game development, content creation, and social media industries: how do we balance creativity with the terms and guidelines of different platforms? 👀 **Looking Forward** While we've hit roadblocks, we're far from defeated. We're revisiting our marketing strategy and how we present our content to align better with platform policies without compromising the core essence of our game. 🗣 **Join the Conversation** We would love to hear your thoughts on how to navigate these challenges, especially from professionals in game development, programming, content creation, and social media management. Let’s open up a dialogue to discuss creative freedom in an era of ever-changing platform rules. Thank you for taking the time to read about our journey, and we hope to keep you updated as we strive to find a harmonious balance that satisfies both our creative vision and societal standards. Best regards,   Sean A.i. Research  Black Sail Studio 🔗 #GameDevelopment #SocialMediaManagement #CreativeFreedom #PlatformGuidelines #Wolfenstein #BlackSailStudio We appreciate your support and feedback as we move forward in this challenging, yet rewarding, industry. 🤝

Hey everyone! I spent all day yesterday searching through YouTube channels to find content creators and sending out emails. I think this is important to continue reaching out to target audience for my game. Even though sometimes marketing can be quite a difficult challenge. I would also like to ask for your help! If you know any live streamers or content creators, please share this form with them. If you are a content creator yourself than please consider filling it yourself. I am looking for people who are willing to make content on indie games, regardless of channel size. It doesn't matter if you have 1 subscriber or thousands. What matters is reliability, so if you say you're releasing a video on the 10th, you do so. So, please share this or fill it in yourself if you are a content creator. I want to build a larger list of content creators, not just for my current game, Rise of the Village Hero, but also for future games. Thank you for your time! And look forward to collaborate with any content creators around here! https://lnkd.in/eknx4UJ6 #contentcreators #indiegameletsplays #youtubers #streamers

Part 1 of 2 The work of small game studios with such giants like Meta: Challenges and Solutions The work of small game studios alongside giants like Meta can bring significant benefits but comes with legal and competitive challenges. Let's examine the issues and potential solutions for small game studios collaborating with such companies.   1. Copyright and Intellectual Property Preserving intellectual property is one of the most critical aspects of creating games for industry giants. It's essential to ensure that your game and all its components, including graphics, music, and scripts, do not infringe upon the copyrights of others. A thorough analysis and legal assessment of all materials can help prevent legal issues.    2. Personal Data Protection Collecting and processing users' personal data is an integral part of the gaming industry. However, Meta and other similar companies have strict requirements for personal data protection. Ensure that your game complies with all privacy policies and requirements.   3. Content and Compatibility with Another Company's Standards Giant companies have their standards and rules. Before publishing your game on their platform, ensure it meets all content and functionality requirements. This includes the absence of offensive or illegal content and compatibility with updates.