WHAT IS THE INCUBATOR?
The purpose of the NYU Game Center Incubator is to bridge experimental work with the realities of the marketplace. The Incubator gives promising games time, space, guidance, and resources to maximize their chances of commercial success.
Once accepted into the Incubator, participating projects are provided a structure to address the marketing, legal, financial, and other business issues of launching a successful commercial game. The Game Center fosters partnerships with game publishers, technology companies, veteran developers, lawyers, journalists, and other industry experts who guide the Incubator participants towards their launch goal. Through a combination of curriculum development, events programming, production assistance, and financial support, the goal of the Incubator is to bring to market innovative work that might not otherwise get there.HOW DOES IT WORK?
The Incubator will run from 6/6 - 9/2. Each core team member will be provided a $6,000 stipend over the course of the program to cover their cost of living during the period of incubation, subject to their continued satisfaction of Incubator milestones. Each game will also receive dedicated mentorship time from the Advisory Board members, Game Center faculty, and other local NYC-based game developers. As part of joining the Incubator, core team members must commit themselves to working full-time (40 hours/week) on the project for the duration of the Incubator at the NYU Game Center. The project may include additional developers in any working arrangement at the discretion of the team. The only stipulation on team composition is any stipend-earning developer must work full-time at the Incubator.
The Game Center Incubator will take a minority revenue share in each project released from the incubator. The exact terms of this share for the 2016 cohort are not final. The terms will be discussed with the Advisory Board and determined before projects are offered Incubator spots in the 2016 cohort. Last years terms were: After a project makes more than $10,000 the revenue will be shared at 10% for two years. The purpose of the Incubator is not to make money. Its purpose is to support ongoing game development in New York. Money received through the revenue share will fund future teams.
WHO IS IT FOR?
We're looking for innovative projects that are finished or are close to finished and would benefit from a focused, final push to maximize their opportunity for commercial success. The Incubator is a program about developing a launch strategy, meaning it is not suitable for games that in the pre-production, prototype, proof of concept, or alpha phase. The Incubator is designed to assist polished betas or nearly finished games prepare for launch. To get a sense of this, you can see games selected in previous years here: http://gamecenter.nyu.edu/about/incubator/2015-incubator-games/
The Incubator aims to assist a wide variety of game styles and game makers. If you are unsure if you game is appropriate for the Incubator, contact Dylan McKenzie, the Incubator Director at [see site for email]
THE APPLICATION PROCESS
To apply to the program, fill out the form below. Applying for the Incubator does not commit you to join. All applicants will be given an opportunity to review the full terms of the Incubator agreement before joining the program. Projects will be selected by the Incubator Advisory Board with guidance from the Game Center Faculty and Staff. Online applications will be reviewed first, and subset of the online applications will be invited to pitch in-person at The Game Center on 5/6.
Applications will be evaluated along three vectors: Commercial potential, production feasibility, and innovation.
Commercial Potential: What are this game's commercial aspirations?
Production Feasibility: Can these developers bring the game from its current place to those goals?
Innovation: The Incubator is most interested in games that aren't obviously commercially viable from the onset. Is this the kind of interesting/experimental/innovative game that could benefit from the Incubator?
IMPORTANT DATES
This application is due by Sunday, 4/24 at 10PM.
A selection of applicants will pitch their projects to a gathering of Advisory Board members on Friday, May 6th 9AM- 2PM.
― ulysses, Wednesday, 13 April 2016 20:04 (eight years ago) link