New People - Building an Army
GravTech has grown significantly this past year. We started 2014 with a little over a dozen team members and now, I look at our current roster and we're about 35 strong. While this includes developers, managers, voice actors, and more it still is staggering to see all of these new faces joining our team so rapidly. We used to have to spend hours browsing LinkedIn and IndieDB for potential team members and now we can just open an inbox.It's become a difficult task to manage all these people. Fortunately, we had multiple team members step up to the plate and become leaders. To me, that means the vision is working. When we set up shop, we wanted to develop a studio that empowered developers and provided the opportunity to put their best foot forward. Nothing has been more motivating for me than watching our team members rise to the occasion and continue to be developed.
We're always recruiting more people who aspire to push themselves to become the best. If you're interested send us your resume and cover letter to: careers@gravtechgames.com
Burnout Game Ventures - "Shut up, Strap in, and Hang On"
They assist with software license costs, mentoring, recruiting, you name it. We had a chance to do a more elaborate post about BGV in the past, so if you want to see more of what they do, click here. You can also check them out online at: www.burnoutgameventures.com
Since we began our relationship with BGV, other teams have joined as well, including Major Games and Symbio VR. Major Games is currently preparing to release their 2D Retro-Platformer, BiT Evolution, so be sure to connect with them; check them out here.
43 North - A Swing and a Miss
 |
| Image Credit |
Shortly after 2014 began we caught wind of a startup business plan competition in Buffalo, New York. A company called 43 North was offering a $1 million prize for the best presented business plan (and presentation) submitted. The winner would receive a $1 million investment for only 5% equity and mandatory relocation to Buffalo, NY. Being die-hard Buffalo Sabres fans we jumped at the opportunity. We already had a detailed business plan and model, so we figured it was worth taking a shot.
A few months after submitting our application we were contacted and informed we had been approved to compete in the competition. Out of 6,932, we were among ~2000 accepted into the next round! However, our application didn't make it through that round and we were informed we would not be moving onward.
While some might let a defeat like this hang them up, we won't. 43 North was a great experience for all of us. It forced us to take a hard look at ourselves and the company we were establishing, which ultimately provided us an opportunity for growth. Sure, we didn't win the prize, but the time spent working towards it was worth the effort. We gained some experience in presenting our vision to a group of investors and although we were eliminated earlier than we’d have liked, we still gained some insight as to what we needed to pay attention to.
Bloggers! - Thank you!
We pushed to gain some exposure this past year and had various successes along the way, but one thing really makes me excited, Blogs! It's one thing when we write it. It's another thing when we read someone else's words about us. It started early fall, when we appeared in a spread with other developers by Indie Game Magazine. Then throughout the rest of the year we had others who reached out to us for statements or interviews.As a startup, exposure is one of the hardest things to gain and every bit helps. These blog and articles have drastically increased people's awareness of us and we're unbelievably grateful. So a big THANK YOU to ConSOUL Network, Feels and Reals, and all the others who have helped spread the word!
Don't forget to check out their blogs and publications below!
Indie Game Magazine
N3rdbomber
ConSOUL Network
Feels and Reals
Pre-Production Done
Probably one of the biggest milestones we reached this year was being able to say we're done with Pre-Production. We spent just over two years building the NORA from concept to prototype and we finally finished! It was a very extensive process, but with a game as intricate as NORA we wanted to make sure we were setting it up right. It took a lot of effort, but we know the extra time we took planning and building the universe will be worth it as we move through development and finally ship NORA.
#Gamergate
It's going to be difficult to recap all of the #Gamergate movement, so I'm mainly going to be sticking to our direct involvement within the movement. If you're still clueless about what #Gamergate is, I encourage you to check out gamergate.me to learn about it.While you won't see us actively use the tag on our social media (we're developers and have chosen to let the consumers shape the industry) we support the movement because of how closely it fits with our vision. Video games are becoming a form of art in our society, but are being greeted with serious opposition from various channels preventing them from moving into that final form. It’s rather unfortunate because the industry is becoming torn. Gamers are attacking gamers. Developers attacking developers. It’s just madness!
Now, I look at our support of #Gamergate as two parts. First, when Brandon and I began to determine our audience for our games we focused on the desire to reach gamers (of specific genres, but gamers nevertheless). We stand by gamers, all gamers, and through our support have met gamers of all walks-of-life who are tired of the constant hate and decided it’s time to fight back. Secondly, we believe in empowerment, not just for our people at GravTech, but all developers and gamers within the industry. What’s a shame is that more and more we’re seeing developers have to censor or limit their content in efforts to be politically correct and not the artists they once aspired to be. That’s not empowerment. That’s de-evolution. So as far as GravTech is concerned. We’ll continue to watch the consumer’s shape the industry.
No comments:
Post a Comment