Starting Your Game Studio: How to Create an Effective Team

Learn the fundamentals of an effective game startup team

• What makes a perfect team for a game startup? 
• What roles exist within a game startup, and how do you balance them? 
• How do personal and team motivations influence the growth of a game studio?
• How do you balance creativity and business?

This course teaches you about the people needed to form a game company, and keeping expectations in sync with reality. You will get theory and hands-on tips about team composition and team dynamics, applied to startups in the games industry. Most startups are small in size and generally are founded due to a shared passion for games. As an independent game developer, you are making a game and have to run a business at the same time, which is a huge challenge. There’s not one answer why some teams are successful, and why some fail. What makes a team successful is a complex set of variables, which we are going to dive into to help you on your way. 

This course combines theory with experience, and provides you with practical examples through interviews with successful game studios. You see how studios formed their team and why it worked (or not), the influence that personalities have on the production, how they handle decision-making, and the balance of creativity vs business.

This course includes interviews with:

• Rami Ismail of Vlambeer (Ridiculous Fishing, Super Crate Box, Nuclear Throne)
• Joost van Dongen & Olivier Thijssen of Ronimo Games (Awesomenauts, Swords & Soldiers)
• Adriaan Jansen & Manuel Kerssemakers of Abbey Games (REUS, Renowned Explorers: International Society)
• Derk de Geus of Paladin Studios (Momonga, Mirage)