What is the difference between developer and publisher

As a rule, real publishers do not like experimental games and know well their audience needs. So the key difference between developer and publisher is that the developer creates the game whereas the publisher sells it. However, there are also different types of game developers:. We recently came across an interesting post by Steve Yap on Mugshot , where he lists down the 40 not so easy steps to publishing your own game. But he also ends it with a note on how satisfying it is to do it all your own and still make your game a hit amongst the others that are being backed by publishers.

The truth is, not every developer out there is ready to don different hats. There is a whole set of tasks that you need to complete before you actually get through one! The publishing app industry believes in engaging only with developers they know or are recommended by someone in their circle.

A couple of other reasons as stated by Gamasutra , include:. So do game developers need publishers? The publisher covers all costs — and this is one of the key reasons why game developers enter into a contract with the publisher.

At the same time, the publisher takes a share in the royalties of developers until the budget invested in the game is recaptured. What percentage do game publishers take? After the publisher has recaptured the costs, the team begins to receive the first deductions. This is the financial risk of launching a new project on the market, which in this case is the responsibility of the publisher, not the developer.

Because of this risk, development budgets are often cut to widen the gap and discourage sales. From a business point of view, this is a perfectly reasonable move. But the game itself and the quality of development may suffer.

And then you have to rewrite the entire game in order to squeeze into the new budget. Well-made games are usually sold, especially those that, thanks to the publisher, have support, PR, and marketing budgets.

If a publisher not only cuts the costs but also invests in quality and marketing, then a project can achieve success. But nevertheless, if you are choosing between going solo or the traditional publishing way, here are a few pros and cons you need to consider. In return, the author produces content in the form of books that the publisher can then monetize.

The author focuses on writing a book and the publisher monetizes it, making it a mutually beneficial relationship. Similarly, in the gaming world, developers are the ones creating the games, while the publisher is the one who takes the product and finds ways to make money for both parties.

These days, there have been an increasing number of publishers expanding into development and developers expanding into publishing, further blurring the lines between the two. Established by a team of industry veterans with a proven track record of success, we create investment products that make a difference.

For more information, please visit www. Share Tweet. Developers vs Publishers A game developer is the one who takes a concept or idea and turns it into a playable game. Sometimes they finance what a developer cannot. Borderlands was the vision of Randy Pitchford of Gearbox. He originated the concept, development, and execution of the game. Gearbox wrote it, then they approached a publisher to distribute it 2K Games. When a developer is in-house , meaning the publisher owns them, the process becomes much dirtier.

Though Andromeda was a developers screw up, there is a lot of debate about who was behind the ending to Mass Effect 3. This might seem crazy except that seven years ago, the CEO of publisher Codemasters, Rod Cousens, essentially said that is exactly what publishers should do.

The advent of the Steam platform has eliminated the need for publishers as indie game developers such as ourselves Paragonyx can distribute our games. Card games. What is game developer and publisher? Do game developers need publishers? Do game publishers make games? What does a gaming publisher do? How does a publisher help a video game developer? Do you need a publisher to make an indie game? What is the difference between publisher and developer?