2009 – The Year of the Entrepreneur?
The New Year rang in with the usual thoughts of new beginnings and hope. However, this year those positive thoughts were tinged by the downturn of the national and global economies. Mental preparation was needed for what was bound to be a slower 2009. To my surprise, the New Year began with a flood of new entrepreneurs looking to start their own businesses. Many studies show that entrepreneurism thrives in a downward economy, but I have to say, I would not have believed it if it weren’t happening today. The question is, why?
 Some will say it is because folks have more time on their hands from project slowdown or a recent layoff. My belief is this industry is entrepreneurial by nature and is passionate about what they do – making games. Recently, enterpriseSeattle conducted an economic impact study of the video game business in the state of Washington to document what this industry means to our local economy in terms of jobs and dollars. In the course of one year: 150 companies or divisions wholly involved in games; over 15,000 jobs; and contributed over $4.2 Billion to the local economy. These numbers were fantastic, of course, but what the cluster analysis revealed was even more intriguing.
Our local industry’s past, present, and future lie with our three anchors: Microsoft, Nintendo, and Real Networks. The big three are our major employers of course, but they also are the foundation of our local game development community. Most of our local game development companies have founders or executives who have had early roots with at least one of these companies. Following the paths of the many spin-offs, it became clear that the video game industry is very entrepreneurial – more so than most industries. The more established companies give our local workforce the skills to make a game, but it is the passion for play and the entrepreneurial spirit that inspires individuals to begin their own venture.
Last year, the Washington Interactive Network began a series of eight workshops designed to help these entrepreneurs, Game Industry Start Up 101. These workshops are the third Tuesday of the month and cover a variety of topics from “Building Your Business Plan” to “Financing Fundamentals” to “Exit Strategies. This series brought in many new faces, new companies, and new ideas in 2009. Bubbling with energy and excitement after every workshop, my thoughts of trepidation for 2009 have turned to looking forward to what opportunities 2009 will bring.
 Read the full story and comment
 |
Kristina Hudson
Business Development Manager
enterpriseSeattle |
For more information about the Washington Interactive Network go to www.WashingtonInteractiveNetwork.org or email at khudson@enterpriseSeattle.org.
|
Industry Highlights
Pan-Euro Online Gaming Association Formed
A consortium of European online game developers have created the PEOGA (Pan-European Gaming Association), designed to create networking opportunities, enhance public opinion of online games and encourage self-regulation of online games. PEOGA is led by Frogster Interactive, Game Entertainment Europe, Gameforge 4D, Games Masters, Gamigo and Gravity Europe. The current associate members of PEOGA are Cliffhanger Productions, Dao Pay, fatfoogoo, paysafecard, MMO Life, Moneybookers and SUCT International. Carsten van Husen of Gameforge and Richard van Barneveld of Game Entertainment Europe have been appointed as presidents. »
Article on GDN
NASA Partnering With Developers for MMO Game
NASA's ambitious, educationally-focused MMOG project, Astronaut: Moon, Mars and Beyond, will be developed in concert with Information In Place, Virtual Heroes, and Project Whitecard. The subscription-based MMO game will be fueled by the Unreal 3 engine, with gameplay centered around space exploration involving a wide variety of roles for players. The beta of this game is scheduled to see the light of day toward the end of 2009 and the full version will be available in 2010. »
Article on DailyTech
WoW Lead Designer To Work on Blizzard's Next Big MMO
Jeff Kaplan, the lead designer of World of Warcraft, has formally announced in an official community forum post that he's now switching his focus to Blizzard's under-wraps massive multiplayer online game. Tom Chilton and J. Allen Brack, also on the World of Warcraft team, will be taking over in Kaplan's stead. Kaplan's move is a sure sign that there is a passing of the baton to Blizzard's MMOG project, with more news sure to be announced with increasing frequency. »
Story on Massively
Aftermath of Funcom $23 Million Operating Loss
In reponse to an announced $23.3 million shortfall in its fourth quarter earnings statement, Funcom's CFO Olav Sandnes stepped down. Funcom has dealt with a series of setbacks since the disappointing first year for Age of Conan in 2008. In the last several months, Funcom co-founder and game director Gaute Godager stepped down and game server capacity has been heavily reduced to accommodate the smaller-than-expected player base. »
Article on GamesIndustry.biz
More NCsoft Bad News: Guild Wars 2 Delayed
NCsoft has released an earnings report, and with the bad news of a 40% profit loss to $20 million, another nugget of bad news has surfaced. Guild Wars 2, originally expected years ago, has had its release date pushed back another year to 2010/2011. The profit loss, as internal estimates would have it, are attributed to the delay of Aion: Tower of Eternity's release. What will happen to NCsoft with Guild Wars 2 pushed back another year or more? »
Story on CVG
Struggling Game Developers Facing Bankruptcy or Acquisition
Even the game development sector of the economy is proving not to be immune to recession. Midway Games, striving to escape $150 million of debt, has filed for bankruptcy protection. Square Enix is seeking to acquire debt-ridden Eidos, the publisher of Age of Conan and the owner of the Lara Croft franchise, while D3Publisher is in the process of being absorbed into Namco Bandai. This trend of winnowing and consolidation can be expected to continue, while stronger companies reinforce their positions in the business. »
Full Article on VentureBeat
Sony Online Entertainment Bequeaths EQ II Server Logs
The entire 60 terabytes of server log data of 400,000 players accrued over EverQuest II's 4 years of operation has been donated to a group of researchers. The data mining from these comprehensive logs and demographic surveys are expected to form the basis for commercial habits like churn, but social interaction. Virtual world user data provides a unique compendium of social behaviors on a massive scale, which may end up producing interesting research not only about gamers but about society as a whole. »
Full article on ArsTechnica
|
