Alten8 - does anybody have SOME POSITIVE experience with them ?

[VladR]

I signed my older game with them last year, so they definitely should have some sales statistics by now.

At first, until I submitted a game, they used to reply within hour, even 5 times per day. From the day I signed the contract, the level of communication dropped to halt. Getting any response from them became a task spanning weeks/months - sometimes without any response whatsoever.

Currently, it`s almost september and I`m trying to get just an estimate of what the sales are like, and they weren`t able to do that since May.
I manage to get one reply since last 4-5 months stating that there`s a new colleague taking care of this issue.

I`ve sent about 10 emails during that period and haven`t received a reply, so I`m giving up and checking out with others here what are their experience.

You know, just a blatant reply like "Hey, fuck you" is better than a complete ignorance. I can`t phone them up, since they changed the offices more than half a year ago and I don`t have new phone number - they obviously didn`t feel the need to update their developers with the number - maybe they knew why ?

I probably wouldn`t be so pissed if I didn`t invest lots of time into new version that was due out with them, which in the end halted the release (on my own website) for more than year (would you realease old version, when you were doing new features ?) and since I currently don`t have the time to finish it, it`s still waiting on my hard drive, whereas if they didn`t step up, I`d already have some sales from my own website (albeit from older version with less features).


So, should anyone of you being on a "correct and speedy communication channel" with them, beware - that`ll probably change soon...

[Adrian Cummings]

;)

Paul @ Alten8 it would seem is a very busy man.

In fact 'so busy' that he tends not to remember to feed the hand that serves him.

I terminated all my agreement(s) quite some month back because of this.

That's all I'm saying, but good luck as he appears to be a generally nice bloke, but I do wonder that he bit off more than he can chew as that's the only answer I can give you.

He will tell you that people never paid him so he can't pay you perhaps?... and of course I pretty much can believe that given some of his own publishing partners... nevertheless it is very rude to not respond to you and that's the other reason I went elsewhere with my warez in the end.

Good luck of course, and I was just thinking that my response here may at the very least draw him out of the woodwork for you to answer your original question directly perhaps!? :)

[VladR]

;)
He will tell you that people never paid him so he can't pay you perhaps?... and of course I pretty much can believe that given some of his own publishing partners...
If only I was told at least this. I managed to get one reply from him in this period that I should contact his other colleague, but he nver replied back - I`m sure the email adress is correct since he was CC`ed there.

Again, I`m angry not just because I haven`t got paid or am being ignored. But the second game, which was finished/tested and right before being put online as a shareware, got postponed and I started adding features (because of their feedback) so I felt I`d wait "few Months more and put up a new/better version". But then the life situation changed, so I stopped the development and now I can`t force myself to realease the old version since the new one is just few steps from being released. But more than a year passed since that time. And on top of that I don`t even know if my game sold anything at all !

Just a reminder to somone who might be in a similar situation now, making new/better builds, that it might turn up completely different, in the end.

Just don`t make the same stupid mistake as I did.

[cliffski]

release your game when you feel it is right.
sell it from your own website direct with no middleman.
if you see a good deal, add some portal deals on top of this.
But never go without your direct sales, they are your direct lifeline to the market and your customers. And they are your independence.

[VladR]

I know. I was thinking of you regarding this issue during whole last year, that everything you ever told us here was true. It`s easy to get "pumped up" regarding the retail publishing opportunity and think in terms "month or two later - doesn`t matter". But you actually can`t know (as I just learnt) if it`s going to be a month/two or not. Everything is a risk.

[Adrian Cummings]

Yes that's the way of the jedi indie along with non-exclusive 'everything' unless you have somebody 'exclusive' you can trust with your produce of course (which is pretty rare these days all said and done!)

[Oaf]

I know him too - unless you're on his radar he's very hard to get hold of.

I think he's a genuine guy, but he's bitten off much more than he can chew. He's got so many different business angles it's frightening.

Hopefully that will get better soon, as he's hiring staff to support him now.

I think the best thing to do is just become a pain in the arse - mail him every day, every hour even, he is there....

[Adrian Cummings]

Hehe... yeah 'Hopefully' is a word I like to not associate with a new business partner - 'Live in hope and die in despair' as they say.

Hope does not after a whole year or more of waiting, pay the bills, tax and balance the accounts. Hope is glossy word used by many for 'I think' which means they don't really know and thus what is the point in the first place of signing - i.e. none that's what :P

Waste of everybodies time at the end of the day (including mine) and 'time is money' god damn it!

So many monkeys, so many minger'mons in this business - gotta f**k em all! (before you know whom to intrust your produce with that is) ;)

[sillytuna]

I'll keep this simple.

There are no excuses for lack of communication. Absolutely none.

That goes for anyone you want to work with/for, paid or unpaid, skilled or not.

If the money isn't there, for whatever reason, you need to know. It happens, rightly or wrongly. What makes life impossible is the not knowing. I've had my fair share of people who do this and I honestly can't be bothered with them any more. Harsh but true.

Edit: Oh, and FFS don't sign exclusives when you've *finished* your product (or as good as) and aren't dealing with someone you are very sure about. Also, don't sign away ANY rights to other platforms without them being specifically named (not "all inclusive with named exclusions"), include a get out if those rights aren't commercialised within X months, etc. I've lost count of the number of times I've seen people ripped off on this last point.

Where rights are to be discussed, whatever the state of your game, advances talk more than royalties. If they won't spend even a few grand now, what hope have you got for later? Why would they prioritise your game over something they spent cash on direct with the developer? Right! They won't! Even it they only pay $5k, it's a statement of intent.

What I'm saying is, get a good lawyer!

[Adrian Cummings]

^^^Tis true what the man Alex just said.