John Wright

In mobile game publishing, true success isn't just about launching a great game, it's about building a lasting partnership with your publisher. The best studios go beyond expectations, creating strong relationships that lead to repeat success and bigger opportunities.📑 Build a Long-Term, Positive Relationship🔹 Be Proactive: Share progress, highlight wins, and bring fresh ideas to the table; don’t wait for your publisher to reach out.🔹 Visit Regularly: Face-to-face interactions build trust. Visiting your publisher or inviting them to your studio strengthens bonds.🔹 Stay Engaged: Attend their meetings, support other projects, and contribute to broader strategy discussions. Show you’re invested in their success too.📌 Rule #1: Proactive engagement and consistent presence build trust, which is the key to long-term success.🔢 Become Part of the Publisher’s Long-Term Vision🔹 Align Your Goals: Understand your publisher’s strategy and show how your studio fits into […]

A successful game isn’t just about great development, it’s about creating a strong, collaborative partnership with your publisher.📑 Build Trust & Transparency🔹 Share Early & Often: Provide regular updates, highlight wins, and address challenges quickly. Surprises should be in your game—not in your project timeline.🔹 Be Honest About Risks: If a milestone is slipping or a feature isn’t working, tell your publisher early. They value studios that can identify issues and propose solutions.🔹 Create Advocacy: Treat your publisher like part of your team. When they understand your vision, they can advocate for you internally, securing resources or managing expectations.📌 Rule #1: The more transparent you are, the more your publisher will trust and support you.🔢 Embrace Feedback & Adapt🔹 Stay Open-Minded: Whether it’s gameplay, monetization, or strategy feedback, listen and assess. The goal is to make your game a commercial […]

Delivering on time isn’t just about meeting milestones, it’s about building trust. Publishers invest heavily in your success, and sticking to deadlines strengthens partnerships, ensures smooth launches, and maintains cash flow.So, what do publishers prioritize when it comes to production timelines?📑 Setting Realistic Expectations – The Statement of Work (SOW)Every publishing contract includes a milestone-based SOW outlining:🔹 Project Milestones – MVP, retention, monetization, soft launch, and global launch.🔹 Feature Deliverables – Core gameplay, new features, economy, and live ops.🔹 Technical Requirements – Performance optimization, stability, and QA-passed builds.The biggest mistake? Overpromising and underdelivering. Publishers prefer transparency over unrealistic deadlines.📌 Rule #1: A solid plan leads to smoother execution and fewer delays.⏳ The 30-Day Extension RuleMost publishers allow a 30-day grace period for missed milestones, but:🔹 Miss once? You get an extension.🔹 Miss twice? The publisher can terminate the contract.If this […]

💰 Revenue ShareRevenue share determines how profits (net revenue of UA) are split between the developer and publisher, typically based on:🔹 Risk & Investment – More funding = lower revenue share for the developer.🔹 Market Potential – Projected higher-performing games get better splits.🔹 Long Term Relations - Normally if the studio is tried and tested with the publisher they get better splits.🏢 Studio Burn CoverageBurn coverage determines if the publisher funds the studio’s operational costs or not, this could also be done on the title/project level:🔹 Full Coverage – Publisher covers all costs but takes a bigger revenue cut.🔹 Partial Coverage – Some funding, but better long-term revenue for the studio.🔹 No Coverage – Developer self-funds but keeps more revenue.If milestones (statement of works) aren’t met, funding may be delayed or cut off.📊 Commercial TermsBeyond revenue share and burn, contracts […]

The greenlight process is the final stage of due diligence, where the publishing team comes together to review all aspects of a game and decide whether to sign it. While each publisher has its own approach, the ultimate goal is the same:➡️ Do we believe in this game enough to invest in it?Here’s how the decision-making unfolds:🎯 Stage 1: The Cross-Team ReviewThe publishing team evaluates all major areas of the game, typically led by designated owners for each function:🔹 Product & Design – Is the gameplay engaging? Does it meet genre benchmarks?🔹 Production – Can the studio execute on time and at scale?🔹 Marketing – Are CPI, CTR, IPM and retention strong enough to support profitable UA? Do we have monetisation metrics already?🔹 Commercial Viability – Can it scale profitably? How much will we need to invest to get it […]

When a publisher evaluates a game or studio, they’re not just looking at the concept, they’re assessing quality, risk, potential, and long-term viability. So, what does due diligence actually involve? Let’s break it down:🎯 Game Evaluation – What Is The Current State Of The Game?Depending on where the game is in development (MVP vs. Soft Launch), publishers assess:🔹 Marketability – Does it have strong creative potential? How does it perform in test campaigns on Facebook vs. Unity?🔹 Retention & Monetization – Are D1, D7 retention, ARPU, LTV strong enough to outpace CPI and ensure profitability?🔹 Gameplay & UX – Is it polished and meeting genre benchmarks? The product team will find issues, be proactive in addressing them!🔹 Scalability – Can the game grow profitably while covering studio burn and UA costs at higher volumes?🔹 Commercial Viability – What’s the investment […]

You may have heard the terms Farming and Hunting before, commonly used in sales strategies. But how do they apply to game publishing? Let’s break it down:🌱 Farming – The “Come to Us” ApproachThis strategy relies on publishers building platforms or portals where developers can submit their games. Companies like Voodoo, Supersonic, and Kwalee have dedicated submission portals to capture inbound leads.🔹 The goal? High quantity over quality.🔹 The BD team reviews submissions daily, selecting games for testing.🔹 Automated campaigns (or manual tests by the growth team) determine potential hits and quality.🔹 The success rate? Roughly 1 in 300-500 hundred games make it through, genre depending.🎯 Hunting – The “Go to Them” ApproachHere, the BD team proactively searches for top-tier games and studios. This is a quality-first approach:🔹 BD teams use LinkedIn, emails, and industry tools to scout promising games.🔹 […]