Hello All,
It's been several years in the making, but it is now complete - our first game, Portrayal. Please visit www.braincog.com and have a look. Of course, anyone with $50,000 can manufacture a game - selling them afterward is the tricky part. :-)
I really wanted to provide more than a shameless plug though. Over the last couple years I've gotten some useful information through this site, and posted some thoughts myself, but now that the major milestone of actually getting the game made has been reached, I wanted to be able to share my own experiences if anyone cares. :-)
Nuggets of information:
- We started designing and playtesting in 2001. At that time I was a fairly poor MBA student. We playtested a lot. You can see how long these things can take if speed to market isn't a huge issue, but not spending money until absolutely necessary is.
- I had the game method patented. I did this all myself, so it only cost me the filing fees. I'd say it was VERY useful to me to have this done. Not so much for the (illusion) of protection it provided (since we knew it'd be a few years before we could commercialize it), but more because it made us think very hard about what made the game unique. It gave us some credibility and helped us articulate our product.
- We playtested with a bunch of people we didn't know, and without us being present. Very important.
- We incorporated Braincog in mid 2005.
- In mid 2005, we created a very detailed request for quotation. Gave component, sizes, and our best guesses for what paper stocks we wanted. Included drawings. We sent this to about 12 manufacturers. All but a couple sent us quotes. We then interviewed the three that seemed to provide the best mix of cost, services, etc. that fit our needs.
- We ultimately went with a company called FourFourFour Ltd. We had the manufacturing done in China. 444 is also providing storage, fulfilment, and sales representation/distribution for our game (non exclusive). Not to say there have been no issues, but we have been happy with this partnership so far.
- We manufactured 5,000 units. This cost about $8.00 +/- $0.50 per game, depending on how you include costs of shipping and other one-time costs. You can see from our website what the components are, but it included an electronic timer and some pretty large full color cards.
- We attended the NY International Toy Fair at Javitz this year. It was a great experience. We shared a booth, so the cost was not excessive. But the networking opportunity was valuable.
- We (and our distributor) have been sending out copies to retailers, reviewers and media. Press releases and such are coming out now. We have a long way to go.
- We budgeted to sell our games within two to three years. Profit will not be very much, but if we are able to demonstrate that we can sell the games, we can do a larger print run (for lower unit cost) or even try to license the game to another company. We view this mainly as a "personal fulfilment" and educational project, not a money-making one. If it does make money, super. We're just hoping to not LOSE too much. :-)
If anyone has any questions or feedback, please let me know.
*** If you, or anyone you know, needs a new Family / Social Interaction / Party Game, buy Portrayal from www.braincog.com and use promotion code "portrayal4bgdf" for free shipping. :-)
Cheers!
Bill Jacobson
Braincog, Inc.
The game looks great! Thanks so much for sharing your story of success with us. I'm sure the game will sell very well. Did you approach Tom Vassal with a reviewer's copy yet? He does play party games quite a bit and it might be worth the press, especially if he reviews it on the Dice Tower.
-Michael
By strange coincidence, Tom Vasel contacted me last night and indicated an interest in potentially reviewing Portrayal. Of course, I'd be honored if he did. :-)