Business and Legal Issues Reference Material

The following sections are provided as additional reference materials to help developers devise business plans, conduct market research and get a handle on general business aspects. References will be added on an ongoing basis...

External Reports/Resources

The following reports have been hand-selected by the Business Committee. These are free reports and papers that can help when it comes to the business of making games.

Big Huge Games: A Year (or Two) in the Life of a Startup (includes business plan template, etc) (zip 3.6MB) (March 2002)
by Brian Reynolds, et al., Big Huge Games

Emerging Financial Opportunities in the Interactive Media Industry (March 2003)
by Rick Nathan and Trevor Fencott, Goodmans Venture Group

Economic Impacts of the Demand for Playing Interactive Entertainment Software (2001)
by Nathan Associates and ESA

An Analysis of MMOG Subscription Growth (2003)
by Bruce Sterling Woodcock

From Exuberant Youth to Sustainable Maturity - UK Competitiveness Analysis (November 2002)
by UK Department of Trade and Industry

Analyse de positionnement de l'industrie du jeu interactif au Québec (January 2003)
by Alliance NumeriQC

Market Research/Statistics

The following sites contact market research and analyst reports, usually for a sizeable fee. Often, overview data is provided for free. Be sure to check out the ESA's "fast facts" page for a quick overview of the gaming market.

• Acacia Research Group
• Datamonitor
• DFC Intelligence
• Forrester Research
• Gartner Group
• IDC
• ESA fast facts
• International Development Group
• Jupiter Research
• Magic Box Game Charts
• NPD Funworld
• Research and Markets
• Screen Digest
• Strategy Analytics

IGDA Articles

The IGDA publishes articles on a myriad of topics. Here are some relevant articles pertaining to business and legal issues:

• Nuts and Bolts of Business Formation: An Overview of Business Entities and Their Formation
• Negotiating Development Contracts
• Toward an Alternative to the Advances, Recoupment, & Royalty Model for Developers
• G.O.D.'s Ten Developer Commandments
• "Miller Time" - The Business of Designing Games
• Mentoring: A Good-Practice Checklist
• Audio In/Audio Out: Making the Transition...

GDC Roundtable Discussions

Be sure to check back for all the 2009 GDC Roundtable Discussions.