Boggit interviews J D McNeil at the Home of Wargamers 2014 Conference

J D thank you for agreeing to do an interview with me.

It’s a very big step for new developers entering the gaming industry and quite fraught with difficulty. Why should new developers see Matrix/Slitherine as anything more than just another publisher?

There are a number of reasons why a developer would find a deal with us attractive.

The first and primary reason is that we can showcase their game and put it in front of a very dedicated audience. When gamers come to our websites they know exactly where they’re going and what they are coming here for. We track and check statistical analysis of all of this and the industry norms for sell-throughs and visits. It’s an analysis that many companies have and they don’t generally share it. But what I can tell you is that we outstrip any known factors for any other site that we have got information on. The sell-through from visits is enormous, people come, they know why they come, and they buy. So that’s the first reason.

The second reason is that we work with the developers/partners from the very start of their development. No matter how good a developer is, when coming to a new business sector or any business sector, they can make mistakes, they can make errors. That’s not saying that they do make mistakes or errors. But we will advise, cajole, help, push and prompt. We try and get them to a placewhere we know from our business experience that their product will sell. Now that’s invaluable time being saved, it can knock months off to be honest. It’s also the case that when a developer comes to us too late in the cycle, we are often faced with the situation that the errors, or the points, or the things that we think would improve his sales are beyond redemption, and to strip out and rebuild it could take an enormous amount of time. Continue reading →