Key Issues When Indie Devs Sign Publishing Deals
Since they didn't have their own money, they had no choice but to sign with a game publisher.
Benefits of signing:
1. You'll typically get an advance to cover some of your expenses (early payment of your collaboration salary). Of course, the publisher signs because they feel confident about the game content and are willing to take the risk of bearing losses to publish it.
2. Publishers generally take on the obligations of translating, publishing, and selling to overseas (platform) markets to make more money (the less text needs translation, the happier the publisher is). They also participate in testing and debugging to help resolve game issues.
3. You can leverage the publisher's connections to participate in game exchange events and broaden your horizons.
What to pay attention to when signing?
1. Profit distribution — typically 6/4, decent terms might be 7/3, and strong publishers may push for 5/5 (split between developer and publisher).
2. Pay close attention to the contract — it usually only retains terms favorable to them, so fight to secure your own interests. Also, some templates are used in cooperation with others, so pay attention to detail adjustments. When problems arise and litigation is needed, the publisher generally chooses their home country — you must negotiate to use your own country's jurisdiction.
3. The selling price is generally not included in the contract, but Chinese publishers may require it because their selling prices are lower (typically one-quarter of other countries' prices).
As for the receiving bank account, that's a minor issue.
Key takeaways:
1. Many publishers' accounts and official websites look suspicious — no followers, little content, no verification — making it hard to trust them for cooperation. This is exactly why you should establish a strong presence on your official website and main business platform. Expand How should enterprises do new media?
2. To avoid wasting time, resolve the key issues during early communication:
Can they provide development funding? Can they meet your expected profit-sharing ratio? Who owns the IP rights to the game? What are the publisher's past achievements? What advantages do they bring? What sales volume can they realistically achieve for this game?
If you're generally satisfied with the answers, then decide to sign.