How To Start A Game Company That's Profitable And Will Financially Support You, Your Family, And Your Team Member's Lives...

Hello friend, my name is Dariusz.

If you're a game dev and you're starting a new game company, then here's what you're going to learn after reading this blog...

You're going to learn business strategies that you NEED to know if you want to build a successful game company... a company that financially supports your life.

You're also going to learn how to make games that "sell themselves" -- so that you're not wasting your time and money marketing a game nobody wants to play or buy.

The idea is to build a catalog of games that will sustain your business not only now, but in the long-term future.

And you're also going to learn how to find players and build a community. So that when you launch your game, you have a fan base that is excited to support you by buying your game on day one... and excited to learn more about your next game.

Also, you're going to learn how to finish game projects twice as fast. Because when you run a game studio, you're no longer an employee. And unlike an employee, you can't just show up and expect money to appear in your bank account. You have to learn how to manage your time because you'll be doing MORE than just game dev... you'll also have to lead people and come up with strategies on how you'll be profitable.

So don't be that game dev that sits in their "ivory tower", and makes a game that THEY want to play -- only to find out that nobody will buy or play their game.

Learn the business strategies and skills you need so that your game studio grows, makes income, becomes a leader in your market. Learn the business and marketing skills so that your studio can financially support you, your family, and your team member's lives.

How Do I Know This Works...

Back in 2002, I was exactly where you are right now. I was getting bored and tired of my day-to-day office job. I wanted to do something creative... something different... something cool other people would love to use.

So I set out to see if I can support myself doing creative work as an artist, web developer, and graphic designer.

My very first business idea was in 2002. My buddy and I wanted to make a web comic using Adobe Flash. That idea failed fast. We had no idea how to get people to find us online.

Then around 2002 - 2003, I made a website where you could pay your fines online (efines.ca).

Back in 2002 you still had to go into City Hall to pay your fines. My idea was to build a website for the City to make it easy for people to pay their fines.

That idea failed within months. The City of Calgary wasn't interested. And the business model sucked because eventually everybody could pay their fines through their bank.

Then around 2003-ish, I tried to start a graphic design studio. I wanted to make designs for websites, magazines, corporate annual reports, store catalogs, and ads.

During the day I was an IT purchaser for a Oil and Gas company. Then at night I'd work on my graphic design studio.

For years I struggled and failed. I literally didn't land one customer or make any money.

That's because back in 2003-ish, EVERYBODY wanted to be a graphic designer and web developer. Competition was high. And I had nothing new or different to offer. Clients had so many options to pick from. The market was oversaturated.

Sound familiar?

It's like today when EVERYBODY wants to be a game developer. And new games are released everyday. It's so hard to get noticed and grab a players attention because players have so many options.

Anyway...

After a lot of trial and error, and a lot of mistakes... I finally figured it out.

My Breakthrough

After 4 years of trying different ideas... ideas that never worked... I learned that what I was offering was NOT what people wanted.

No matter how hard I tried to market, or convince people, or how professional my website looked, if there is no NEED for my stuff, then nothing will work.

It was a simple lesson:

You need to find if there is a market FIRST before you spend months or years working on your product.

You can't just jump into a competitive market and think that if you just get 1% of that market, you'll make enough money to support you. It doesn't work that way.

But sometimes simple lessons are hard to learn.

I see the a lot with game devs who's games financially fail.

These game devs did not take the time to figure out if there is even a MARKET for their game. And they enter a highly competitive market hoping that they if they just get at least 1% of that market they'll make enough to support themselves financially.

And when they fail, they blame their marketing, or Steam algorithms, or think their game is too niche.

But they never realize that they went into the wrong market in the first place -- and no amount of marketing or PR or branding will help them.

So, how do you make a product or game that people want?

After failing for four years, I learned that people are motivated to buy something when they need to solve a problem.

And people are more motivated to get rid of a problem than to gain a benefit.

And don't think video games are any different. People play and buy games because games solve problems in peoples lives.

That's why when you enter a competitive market it's hard to grab attention because player needs and wants are already being met. It's hard to convince a player to play your game when other games are already fulfilling their needs.

Players are only motivated when a game no longer fulfills their needs and wants... so they set out too look for new games that will fulfill their needs and wants in a new way.

Anyway, my breakthrough was because I learned how to match my talents with what people wanted and needed.

Let me show you exactly what I mean...

Successful Startup Number 1

Like I said, for 4 years I failed. From 2002 - 2006, I failed because I was in an oversaturated markets.

My ideas failed because either there was no market for it, or because the market was way too saturated with competition.

For example, everybody was a graphic designer or developer. My potential clients needs and wants were already being fulfilled by bigger and better designers.

So what I did was, instead of trying to compete in this oversaturated market, I CREATED my own market.

Back in 2005-ish people were scanning their old slides, photos, and negatives into digital. And after some market research, I found out that people were not happy with the quality of the digital images.

So in late 2005, I started a scanning company where I fixed the digital images in Photoshop (DigitalCalgary.com, then later ScanCanada.ca).

I found a niche that no other graphic designer was in. And more importantly, i found a niche where there was big NEED in that nobody was fulfilling.

By matching my talents with peoples wants and needs, I landed some of the biggest organizations, businesses, and agencies in Canada.

I eventually got big enough to open 3 locations, and hired a small team.

The biggest lesson I learned from this startup was Positioning, Product Planning, and Market Research.

I knew I couldn't compete with other graphic design studios.

So I learned how to position my company and opened up a whole NEW market.

I learned how to create products people wanted.

I learned how to market research and find opportunities no other competitor could find.

Successful Startup Number 2

Then in 2009, I had my second successful startup. I created ebooks and video courses showing people how to fix scans in Photoshop (HowToScan.ca).

I used the same business strategy lessons from my first startup (Product Planning, Market Research, Positioning, Digital Marketing), and applied it to this second startup.

But this time, I also learned how to build a COMMUNITY using email marketing.

I had over 6,000 people on my email list.

6,000 people doesn't sound like a lot. But imagine if you had 6,000 newsletters subscribers... or 6,000 wishlists... or 6,000 Discord followers.

You don't need a lot of people to have a successful studio. It's the quality of your followers, not quantity.

Successful Startup Number 3

So I took EVERYTHING I learned from my first two startups and applied it to my next idea...

In 2019 I started making 2d and 3d game world maps for indie games (FastTravelMaps.com).

As a hobby I did 2d and 3d art. So I decided to turn my talents into income.

And thanks to market research, product planning, positioning, and digital marketing, I found a niche with very little competition, but a lot of need for.

So what does this have to do with you and you building a successful game company that supports you financially?

Well, let me explain...

Helped Other Games Devs Grow Their Game Studio

While I was making game maps for indie devs, I also talked to them a lot.

I learned their biggest problem was marketing, building a community, market research, product planning, time management and productivity.

Basically, all the business skills you need to grow a profitable company that will sustain you financially in the long-term.

And it was crazy...

All of the devs were very talented. Talented in programing, design, art, theme, story ideas.

Their game's were great. The looked great. And lot of fun to play.

But the crazy part is, despite all their talents, they couldn't get their game company to grow... they had very los game sales when they launched.

Their game dev talents weren't enough to start a successful game studio.

And every game dev I talked to always had these two BIG fears:

• Fear #1: Running out of money before they finished their game
• Fear #2: If they DID finish their game, they would make no money because they didn't market the game well

So I helped these game devs the best I could with business advice. I showed them how I was able to turn my creative talents into a business that supported me financially.

And after helping other game devs with business strategies on how to start a successful game studio, I decided to organize everything I know, and create a system that is easy to follow... and share it all free on this blog.

Grow Your Game Studio: Success Training System

So in 2024, I started this blog: mainquestmarketing.com. And I made a system I call "Grow Your Game Studio".

So if you're serious about creating a business that will survive in the long-term... if you're serious about creating a catalog of highly marketable games... if you're serious about having a game company that supports your life for years, then you need to know these 4 key elements:

Key #1: Company Position

Most successful video game companies positioned themselves as a market leader.

For example, what comes to mind when I say...

• "Bethesda"
• "FromSoft"
• "Super Giant Games"
• "CD Project Red"

Each of these companies have "positioned" themselves as a leader in their genre (i.e market). Each company has their own "tone" and "personality". Each company has their own unique "soul".

And some of these companies have defined their OWN genres... they created NEW markets that other game devs copy.

So the FIRST key element in building a successful game studio that supports you financially is your COMPANY POSITION.

A "Company Position" is where you have a catalog of games that you specialize in, and differentiate yourself from the competition. In fact, you're so different, that you don't even have competition. And game devs are copying YOU.

This is not easy to pull off. But in this blog I'll show strategies and techniques on how you can position your own game studio.

Next...

Key #2: Your Products

Before you even position your company as a market leader and have a competitive advantage, you need products.

A video game is a product. Yes games are fun. Yes they are entertaining. Yes they are interesting. But at the end of the day, games are just IT products and services people buy. People buy games like they buy chairs, sugar, oil changes, etc.

And because games are fun, game devs are a bit too casual about the business side of marketing and selling their product.

But if you want your product to be bought by thousands of people, you can't be casual about it.

You deliberately need to make products that people will want to buy. You deliberately need to make your games marketable. And the only way to do that is you need to understand the needs and wants of your player.

Because games are fun and entertaining, most game devs forget that games solve real life human problems. Games are a way to escape daily life. Games help solve problems with stress. Games help people who are battling real mental and physical harm. And games give players a purpose their day-to-day doesn't give them.

Remember: people are more motivated to get RID of something than to go after something. Most buying decisions are made because people want to solve a problem. And games are no different. Each game solves a particular problem a person has in their life.

So...

If you can genuinely care about your players, and know more about them and why they would play your game, then you'll make a better product. In other words, match the game you're making with the needs and wans of your player. And that is how you make a game that "sells itself".

Remember, you need to take deliberate actions like product planning and market research, and find out what your players want and need.

I'm not saying be evil. I'm not saying make a game that is highly addictive, full of microtransactions, and only made to suck money out of people.

I'm saying, you can't just make a game that YOU want to play and HOPE that others will want to play too.

So, in this blog, you'll get step-by-step tips and techniques showing you how to build marketable games, games that "sell themselves" -- so that your game studio grows.

Next...

Key #3: Your Player

Before you can have a successful business that dominates a market, you need a product catalog of marketable games. And before you have a product catalog of marketable games, you need PLAYERS.

So the third key system is you need to find players. And when you do find players, you need to keep them and build build a community.

Without a fanbase, your chances of a successful game launch is very low.

And without a fanbase, your product catalog of games will go unnoticed.

So building a community of die-hard fans is a very important key to creating a successful game studio that is financially successful.

And finding and KEEPING players as a community means that they will support you NOW and into the future. Your long-term survival of your game company depends on keeping players as a community.

In this blog, I'll show you how to build that fanbase of die-hard fans so that they support you through the years as you develop new games.

Next...

Key #4: You

Before you position your game company as a market leader... before you create a catalog of games that are highly marketable... before you build a community of die-hard fans... YOU need know how to mange your time to do this all.

The biggest mistake a game dev makes is how they approach having a game studio.

What happens is, a very talented game dev or designer is working for somebody else. They see how the company they work for is making big mistakes. And they wonderer if they could do better. So they set out and see if they can do better for themselves. And they start their own game studio.

And the first thing they realize when they leave their dev job, is that their paycheck is not guaranteed like it is when they were an employee.

They realize that at the end of the month, there is no pay. There is no company that gives them a paycheck.

They finally realize that THEY are the ones who have to somehow get this money.

And they realize their job isn't coding and create game assets and designing levels anymore. They realize that their job now is sales, marketing, product planning, managing, leadership, finance, ...and bottle washer.

So these two realizations...

• Realization #1: I'm in charge of profits and I'm in charge of my own paycheck now
• Realization #2: I'm in charge of managing people, time, paper work, running day-to-day operations

...is a HUGE wake up call to game devs starting a new studio. They realize now that they have to be 2x more productive if they are going to do it all.

So don't be that game devs who fails because they don't realize they are no longer a simple employee that gets their paycheck every two weeks.

Don't be that game dev who thinks they can just code and design all day without thinking about business strategies that will lead to profits.

Make sure you know how to optimize your time so that you can juggle all the aspects of running a successful game company.

In this blog, you're going to learn time-management and productivity techniques to help you get 2x more done in the day. Because remember, you're no longer just an employee coding or designing all day... you need to find time to also be a leader and find ways to make your game company profitable.

If You Learn These Four Simple Things, Your Game Company Will Grow Profits And Income

Again, I call this system "Grow Your Game Studio".

And there are four key parts to this system.

If you want a successful game studio that supports you financially now and in the long-term, you need to know these four key parts.

Here they are again:

Your Company: In order to compete in an oversaturated market, you need to become a market leader. You can't follow what other game companies are doing. You need to "position" your company in a way so that you basically have no competition.

Your Products: Most new games, and most new game companies fail because they didn't make sustainable profits. And the key cause of failure is not understanding what player's want and need. So if you want to avoid financial failure, you need to learn Product Planning and Market Research. Doing this will help you find out what people want and need. Then when you match your game to those wants and needs, that is how you make a game that "sells itself".

Your Players: The long-term survival of your game company depends on how good you are at finding and KEEPING players. Keeping players means that they will support you NOW and in the future. They will be your best "market asset" because their enthusiasm compels them to talk about and share your game with others. And you don't need a huge community. The quality of your fans is more important than the quantity.

You: Remember, you are no longer an employee. You can't just sit there and code and design, and get a paycheck at the end of the month. You have to now figure out how to find that money. So how you manage your time is important because you'll be doing a lot more than just dev. The survival of your game company depends on how productive you are everyday.

These four key things (Your Company, Your Products, Your Players, You) is what I'll talk about in this blog.

I'll show you new insights and I'll give you step-by-step action plans that are easy to implement.

Remember, my goal is to help you start a successful game company that will financially support you, your family, and your team member's lives.

And I want to help you have a company that survives the long-term. Most businesses fail within months. Most don't get past the first year. So with my 17+ experience running my own businesses, I'll teach you business strategies that will help your game studio survive in the long-term.

And what I'll teach you will be tangible, actionable, step-by-step plans. There's no fluff. No "theory". I'll give you techniques you can use right now to help you solve your problems immediately when it comes to starting and growing your game company.

Ready?

Message Me If You're Stuck Trying To Start An Indie Game Company...

Starting a company isn't easy. And results are NOT instnat. It takes time. So if you're stuck, feel free to contact me anytime, and I'll help the best I can. Here's my info:

Dariusz Konrad
Email: dariusz at mainquestmarketing dot com
Discord Username: dariuszkonrad
LinkedIn: My entrepreneurial successes
Work: Game devs I've helped so far