Going Commercial
Magi
In their words
“Magi” is a cross between RTS and RPG, yet it is very different from other games of those genres, actually it’s a genre of its own.
In Magi the player creates a wizard (choosing from various available classes, attributes and styles) and immerses in series of magical duels in a never-ending pursuit for the power and immortality.
Magical spells and projectiles, summoning mythical creatures and calling spirits to curse the opponent are common ways to victory in Magi.
Limitations of the free version
- Only 5/10 characters available.
- You can only learn 4 spells
- No save option
- Limited to 30 in game years
Interview
Why did you choose shareware as your distribution format?
Frankly, I did because this is the way to sell Indie games. The downloadable games market is growing dynamically and there is some good money to be made there. Portals dealing in “casual” games (like BigFish or Reflexive) are making millions of dollars every year and many “Indie” developers are making serious business out of selling games from their websites. With the recent expansion of broadband Internet connections, downloadable games are getting more and more accessible. They also don’t suffer from some issues that retail games do such as “shelf life” and relying on distributors.
When you started work on the game did you plan to use shareware?
MAGI wasn’t started as a commercial project. It was just a game I always wanted to make. Still, I knew that if I’d sell the game in the end, I’d make it a downloadable shareware title. After I got some really great feedback from the players and Indie gaming press, I decided to go commercial.
Do you believe your distribution method has been successful?
Yes. I wanted to break into the gaming industry with this game, while making some nice money out of it. The whole project taught me a lot about the business, got me a job in a big game-dev studio (CD Projekt - makers of www.thewitcher.com, I used MAGI as my portfolio) and earns me some nice cash at the end of each month. I’ve started as an amateur and ended as a professional game developer with some actual experience and a nice game under his belt.
What would you say to anyone who is considering making a commercial game?
Making Indie games can be much more than a hobby. If you are patient and prepared to learn a lot (mostly by mistakes), browse many forums and most importantly - develop a great game, go for it! The worst you can get is some good deal of serious experience. Just remember that the Game Maker Community is not the end of the world.
Any advice on promoting a commercial project?
Get your game reviewed by the Indie game sites and blogs out there. It’s as simple and as hard as that. Remember that GMC (or GM sites in general) are not the end of the world. You want to advertise a game, not an amateur project.
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