I started Hooded Horse because I believe in the potential of indie games. The goal of this blog is to share ideas that may be useful to the many indie devs out there trying to navigate the business side of games.
First, a word on what this blog is not: broad analysis or introduction to game marketing. For that, there are many good choices, especially the GameDiscoverCo newsletter by Simon Carless. My focus will usually be on topics where I think there is less reliable information out there, including the following: finance, pricing, negotiating with publishers. operations generally, and East Asian markets.
I want to be clear about one matter–nothing I write constitutes legal advice. Law differs from one jurisdiction to the next, and I’m not in a position to be offering anyone legal advice of any kind. I may, however, offer business thoughts of a legal nature. That is, I may talk about how to identify and hire a good lawyer. I may also talk about cost/benefit of decisions like pursuing trademark registration. However, that all should be taken as general musings from a business perspective–if you want legal advice, hire a lawyer.
Finally, a bit about my background. Prior to founding Hooded Horse, I worked as a business management consultant for McKinsey & Company, and as a lawyer practicing commercial litigation for Fulbright & Jaworski. I have a J.D. from Stanford Law School, and two master’s degrees from Harvard in fields relating to East Asian history and languages. I also did a bit of game modding, creating Viking Conquest Balance Mod.
I hope you find the thoughts here useful. And if you’d ever like to reach me, feel free to send an email to TimB@HoodedHorse.com
Tim Bender, CEO of Hooded Horse