Here are the services I provide. Depending on your team's circumstance and existing expertise, I will tailor my services to complement your strengths.
Most clients engage with me as an advisor first, then together we explore which specific areas I should be involved in. If you think you need help but aren't yet sure exactly where it is needed, we can figure it out together.
Services
Product Development
This refers to the development of the game (or project). I help with planning by producing the budget (P&L) and mapping out the development schedule with the team (i.e. setting milestones), then tracking the project's progress against the milestones. If needed, I can also source external partners to help finish the game. This includes QA, localization, production outsourcing, middleware licensing, etc.
For teams that lack sufficient processes/controls, I will also work with them to establish clearer processes and reduce communication hurdles.
Strategic Planning
In other words, "handling the numbers". This includes doing opportunity research & analysis of the market to determine the potential of your project(s), and helping organize your studio's various projects into a coherent portfolio of titles. As part of this exercise, I also produce a mid-to-long term (3-5 years) studio-wide P/L to bring financial visibility for your entire studio. Financial visibility is a must for sound longer-term decision-making and setting realistic goals, but unfortunately many studios just "fly blind" until it's too late.
Business Development
Getting deals done, and handling the contract side of things. When you "make a deal", you are agreeing to work with another company in some form, so the partnership needs to be defined clearly and managed professionally.
These deals can take any form, but the most common types in this industry are IP licensing ("I want Star Wars characters in my game!"), Strategic Partnerships (e.g. marketing or exclusivity deals), Distribution Agreements ("sell my game for me please") and Development Agreements ("make this game for me please"). Some deals can combine two or more of these concepts into a larger agreement.
Release Management
This means getting your game from your own development PC to a retail or digital storefront. Depending on the platforms and markets you are targeting, this can either be a quick and straight-forward process (e.g. mobile games on iOS/Android), or an extremely convoluted process involving government agencies (e.g. releasing a console game in China). To make things worse, many of these processes are not very transparent and are constantly evolving.
I help developers optimize their schedule for the various requirements and external deadlines (e.g. passing 1st party compliance and obtaining age ratings), so that the game is released with minimal delays and without unnecessary re-takes (re-submissions).