Experience with revenue sharing

A few years a go I designed a card game for print but it turned out more expensive to produce than i first expected, but recently I've considered developing it for digital platforms.

I have little to no budget to have it produced so an option is to offer a revenue share based on the amount of time each team member gives to the project.

I have already had the physical game play-tested and ballanced, have a reasonably sized pool of cards, have a number of assets, tweaked the game to fit the digital platform better, and have mapped out a business model which i feel would give the game justice whilst still making money.

Has anyone worked under this type of agreement and what was the experience like? Is i wort trying to do it this way?

 

Nope. The chances of getting someone who is worth your time to work for free is pretty low. If it's really small, maybe. And don't say "it's revenue share!". That's still free since there is no guarantee.

A little budget goes a long way in this industry. People are much more inclined to work for a little money than no money.

In the end, what have you got to lose? Post in collaboration section and see what happens. Don't post here asking people to help. It will get thrown out.

 

Thanks for your response.
I wanted to see how people felt about this model before posting.

 

My experience is that revenue sharing projects usually tend to fail.

Looking for someone who doesn't charge much would probably be a better idea.

 

No. It's a recipe for disaster all the way to its nigh inevitable failure. Find a way to fund it upfront -- a part time job, a loan, a sponsor, etc.

Also don't hire someone just because they're the lowest bidder. There are some great developers who undercharge and terrible developers who overcharge. The best way to find a good developer is to contact a previous customer who has an actual published product made by the developer.

Get quotes from multiple developers, too. You might find a developer who has previous experience with a relevant Asset Store product such as CCG Kit that could dramatically reduce the cost and time of development.

 

While you may get people who are enthusiastic enough at the beginning (I see this all the time)....

After a few days, or a few weeks involved in the project, these people tend to usually slip away as enthusiasm dwindles, as they look for a new project to be excited about, or come up with some idea overnight, and now they want to work on it instead.

I wouldn't waste your time to be honest.
At the end of the day, you're asking people to 'work on your game idea for free'.

Doesn't sound very appealing, does it?

 

You might have better success with people you know locally. Old friends who trust you enough to make a go of it.

Finding successful collaborators across the internet is nigh impossible.