Maybe I should have labeled figure out the industry as figure out the market. SWOT was only a tool used to analyze the market. I agree with you that you need to have a market analysis.

Kressilac

__Okay, the demo is pretty obvious as how to make, but what about a budget and a proposal. I remember when I took Visual Media in HS that we had to make a budget estimate for a show. The prices we guesed at first were way off from actual costs. There we had a teacher to tell us more reasonable prices and explain how those estimates came about. Where do you go for information/help on making an estimate?
__As for the proposal, what type of information are they looking for? I assume some sort of design document would be included, but what else?

---Sonic Silicon---

When I was sitting in front of Chris McCibbins, VP of EA.com the other day, he point blank asked me, "What makes your game, THE GAME, that every computer gaming magazine on the planet will announce as the must have of the year?" That pretty much can act as a guideline for building your business proposal. Include things like, what market are you targeting and why. What genre is the game in; is it a cross breed and what makes you think you can do it successfully? Why is your game different from your competition. Why is it better. If you can give these answers and you can do it cheaper than your competition can then you stand a good chance at getting a contract. If you can''t do it any cheaper then your idea has to be somewhat stronger.(ie revolutionary and exciting)

Once you get the product and the customer out of the way, your business document should focus deeply on the team that you have assembled and why it is worth it for the company to risk investing in your team. Afterall, the publisher has to know that should your proposal flop miserably midstream, the money they invested is not for naught because as a team you will adapt and use the money to generate revenue to offset the failed project.

As for a demo, it is very tough to get funding from a publisher without one, but it can be done. Your idea has to be more of the revolutionary kind though. The publisher must in that case instantly recognize your game as the next Doom.(or you have to do an amazing sell job)

Hope this helps.
Kressilac

quote:Original post by Anonymous Poster

I would like to know what''s the *general way* or the normal way a game get published by a major publisher ....

- How good is it to have a demo of your game to show ?

- Is it a good idea to get a business degree before trying to start a game development company ?
(or before showing the game design document, demo to the publisher)

Thanks a lot for your help

A business degree helps. I have one and can''t tell you the times I have thanked myself for it. You do not need one though if you surround yourself with trustworthy support and partners. Even with a business degree you will find the demands of a growing small company to be too much for one person to handle while developing, planning, nad marketing a new product. My only advice is to get some form of business training, be it experience or school. Along with that surround yourself with people that are more intelligent than you are and listen to them.

Kressilac
ps My comment above does not speak to your intelligence. (hopefully avoid a flame here) Bill Gates surrounded himself with people smarter than he was to get where he is today. He didn''t do it alone and he isn''t the smartest one in his company.