I cant help looking at all the engines that work perfectly fine in dx9, I really wonder how it will hit their sales for dx10 fpsc, they said in the news letter they are working on localisation before putting this around publishers for a retail distribution, cant see why one would do that, you can push your product around publishers without that, it really will not make any difference on the negotiations and deal you cut.
Lee's Tip of the Month - New Money For Old Rope
Interesting title, New Money For Old Rope, its a play on money for old rope, as in selling something old and not wanted as if its something new, hope that's not a Freudian slip.
Quote: "Also, having paid for the translations yourself, you own all the IP (Intellectual Property) which comes in very handy when you are negotiating a deal for your software product."
That doesn't make any difference, there are no hard fast rules, its what you negotiate period, I cant see what localisation will have on the negotiations at all. Whats paying for the translations got to do with it or your IP, perhaps they are just looking for distribution and not a publisher, then it would help, as I see it on what deal you cut, you either have a hot product or not, if you have a hot product then you make the demands, nothing to do with a few translations, though like I say they may just want a distributor, though looking at what Lee said, he does say publisher and not distributor.
I wonder how this will fare, how big is the Vista and high end graphics card narrowing sales, publishers like broad markets, games publishers like the consoles as the PC market is small in comparison, well this is even smaller again as the tech requirements are high, I really wonder how that will impact sales, now you say, well its for the future, a future product, people will buy it in the future when they have better computers, TGC are looking ahead, yes but its to sell at retail now, say the sales are not too good now as people don't have the specs yet, will the publisher keep the product in stock in a warehouse ready for the future, the answer is no, they don't wait around, you are going to have to sell at retail now, then keep it in the shops for months or years, that doesn't happen, the shelf life for products is very short, they especially will not keep shelf space for a product that may not sell widely on initial release just in case it sells better in the future, you sell now or you are taken of the shelves, or the other option is sell now, then try and get retail space again later on, well no, if it didn't sell on initial release they don't let you have another crack at it just in case you sell better later on.
I can really see this as being a problem myself, they would of done better making a 2nd version for dx9, bigger audience, then doing a dx10 after that when the requirements are more circulated.
I'm looking forward to the next news letter with keen interest on how business moves along with dx10.
