How to choose the right publisher for your Board Game? *Board Game design*

Following on from my previous videos about pitching a Board Game design, and developing good relationships with publishers, this video discusses how to choose the right company to produce your game.

[@jamesbrazeal3847]

Thanks Adam for sharing these great videos.

[@rabardy2992]

Another great instalment, Adam. Thank you for following up. 👍

[@juan-rg3fu]

Very insightful and interesting story!

[@dandurkin9735]

Interesting insights - thank you! My family enjoyed Doodle Rush this past weekend. Great frenetic fun. Those blue cards are challenging! I’m interested to hear your thoughts on the SdJ nominees. Cheers!

[@AdaminWales]

Great - glad to hear you enjoyed Doodle Rush! I haven't played any of the SdJ nominees this year, except for Cartographers (Kennerspiel) which is excellent. I'll try and get my hands on a few of the games when I get a chance, but I doubt that will be before the announcement! No trips to Germany for the foreseeable future (always great for picking up titles early) - with lockdowns. Which is also a shame because all of my wife's family are over there.

[@dandurkin9735]

Adam's Boardgame Wales I think you’ll enjoy The Crew. I have only played it two-player and through all 50 missions; that has me yearning for the fuller, four player experience - someday soon, I hope!

[@MrShinyObject]

Trying to find a publisher is always terrifying. When you look at the list of 300 publishers it looks so daunting and then you narrow it down to like 4 but that's not enough so you try widening it back out because you at first thought you weren't a good fit for a publisher because your game isn't designed for "mass market appeal" or doesn't have "strong connection to theme" but maybe it could from a certain point of view.
What I'm trying to say is this is one of the hardest steps for me personally because it's so easy for my pessimism to tell me they'll never like my game because it doesn't check enough boxes for them.

[@AdaminWales]

Mr. ShinyObject That’s the tricky bit where you start thinking like a business-person rather than a hobbyist. The publishers are professionals who are earning their living from making games. So clearly they want products they can sell. That means you have to make a product that works for them. Your own game may be fun, but that doesn’t mean there is a big market for it. I think you’re right to ask yourself these difficult questions.
But the flip side is that Kickstarter has opened up a world of new opportunities. Many of the new Kickstarter publishers are hobbyists, rather than experienced business folk. They may well take on a niche product - and the majority of purchasers on Kickstarter are gamers too, so mass-market appeal isn’t necessary.
While I think it is important to be honest with yourself, that doesn’t mean being negative. There is a middle ground where you recognise your own game’s strengths and weaknesses. Get it as good as it can be and show it to publishers - they’ll give you good advice about how to improve it.
You’d be surprised how broad some publisher’s wish list is. You don’t have to show them EXACTLY what they’ve done before. They want a game that complements their line-up, not duplicates it.

[@Wrennbird_reads_recipes]

Thank you Adam! I've only discovered your channel today. I'm about to pitch my first game to a publisher, so this has been very useful information.

[@AdaminWales]

Hi Sarah - really glad it has been useful. Hope the pitching is going well! :)

[@rolandmazzeo6842]

Hi Adam! I am new to your channel and you already thought me a lot.
I am about to pitch my first game and just about to build up a publishers list by your suggestions.
Do you have perhaps a list that you can share with us? Many thanks!

[@AdaminWales]

Thanks for watching - and good luck! I don’t have a list of publishers that I routinely use. Who I pitch to is very dependent on the game I’ve made. I keep a close eye on publishers of my favourite games & contact the publishers who produce similar games to whatever I’ve made. I’ve gathered a number of personal contacts over the years - which is helpful. But the truth is that it’s not hard to do. Most publishers will be willing to chat to you & look at your stuff, as long as you make a professional first contact. Basically, be polite, respectful of their time (don’t write an essay; or send a long video), and give a clear description of your game (maybe a sell sheet) and most publishers will respond.

[@rolandmazzeo6842]

@@AdaminWales Thank you so much!
I will do that!

[@NePosas]

Sorry to hear about your first contract :)

[@AdaminWales]

Thanks. It actually got signed with a big publisher some time later - and then dropped after a few months! Lots of little signs that the game isn’t quite good enough - so I think I need to revisit it at some point and do some serious reworking!

[@NePosas]

@@AdaminWales Now I am even more interested in your game :) Maybe I can playtest it or smthng? :)

[@AdaminWales]

@@NePosas Thanks - but I’m not even sure I have a playable version at this point. It went through so many revisions and ended up left on the shelf for a few years. The industry has moved on at a pace, and 8 years on I’m not sure the game is as interesting as it once seemed! It was a dice-based city building game, but to be honest these days I think it would be made as a roll & write, so that’s probably where I need to turn my attention at some point. Hard to motivate myself to work on it though - so many hours sunk into it back in 2014/15 that I can’t really find much enthusiasm for it these days!