Introduction to publishing games on the YoYo Game Store

Appendix
Publisher – Organisation that manages publishing of the game, this includes marketing, manufacturer submission and advertising, to name a few. In the case of this document YoYo Games are the Publisher.

Developer - Person/s who have created the game and submitted the game through the YoYo Games Store.

Manufacturer – Manufacturer of platform, for example Sony for the PSP or Apple for the iPad.

PEGI – Pan European Game Information, games rating organisation for Europe.

Common FAQ
•	How long will it take to publish my game?

The time will vary, listed below are some key factors that will affect the timeline to release a game;

•	The amount of work required to get the game ready for release on each platforms

•	How much work is split between publisher and developer

•	How much time the developer has available to work on the game, some developers have less time available due to other commitments, thus taking longer to get through the required work

•	Submission times, for a PSP game you need to have a PEGI age rating in Europe; this can take up to 2 weeks and is needed before you are ready to submit to Sony, which may take an additional 2 weeks

•	What is Manufacturer Submission?

Certain platform manufacturers will have requirements that the game will need to have in place before they will release the game on their platform. This is to give the games released on their platform consistency, and to ease usability.


 * Will it have the YoYo Games Border, do I get a say in it?

In reference to the screens shots, these will change style as we progress and develop our brand, they have currently been removed upon request. In relation to the game itself, then no.


 * Why would we buy those games, we can play them on the site?

Our aim is to use the best of the games submitted to the Game Store, these games will then be developed towards identified target markets. These versions of the games will only be available in this context. We are targeting new and different market places for the content.


 * Is it possible to submit a game not published on the YY site?

Yes.


 * What if I don’t have an iPhone/iPad?

Our main platform is on Apple iOS at the moment but we will be expanding on other platforms such as Android and PSP. You don't need to have an iPhone/iPad to make games for submission.


 * Are you going to release a compiler and IDEE for iOS apps?

No.


 * Will all the games be the same price? If someone makes a lengthy game will this be higher?

Most games will fall into the inexpensive price bracket as we want YoYo games to be easily accessible, affordable and designed in mind to be fun and value for money. Some games may be differently priced according to the platform and the market positioning.


 * Will they be available in GM9 to allow independent export to an iOS friendly format?

No.


 * Can I post a review without going through iTunes?

No, all reviews can only be placed after the purchase of a game and only on iTunes store. The reason being is that the higher the score and the more reviews each game gets, carries the likelihood of being featured with Apple and therefore better exposure.


 * Do YY have plans for the Nintendo DS at all?

Not in the immediate future, though we will always keep our options open.


 * Is there Retina display support?

Not yet.


 * Why is there no store for Windows/Mac games?

This will be featured on the Games Store in the near future.


 * I’m curious about the submission process of getting game designs vetted and approved?

Please refer to the Publisher Process Document.


 * You say YY are taking the commercial risk, beyond the initial development of porting GM to platforms, what is that risk?

We spend time, resource and money getting the selected games to market, if the game doesn't sell enough to cover that outlay then we make a loss.


 * Are you committing to a specific marketing spend for any games?

We will make a decision to what games will require different approaches to marketing sectors. This will vary on an individual basis but most will receive the same dedicated spend. Some may merit more, but never less.


 * What about testing games?

We have internal QA that test the games whilst in development.


 * Is the term of exclusivity perpetual? If we can cancel, how long does that take?

It takes 90 days to cancel the terms and conditions, this has to be done in writing.


 * You said you will be porting GM to other devices, but does that mean we have to wait a long time for GM9?

This has no affect on plans for any future arrangement with GM9 development.


 * If you have a musician at YY does that mean we do not have to put music in our games – will you do it for us?

If a game has good music in it already this will be a bonus towards it being selected, we can supply music for games and depending on the requirements this may incur an additional cost.


 * How open are the communications going to be with the dev staff? 

We aim to be as transparent as possible in development, that said we are a small but friendly team with an already very demanding schedule. We know we can always improve.


 * How much is the original creator involved in the polish phase? Are we able to play prerelease builds before it is released? Are there testing opportunities for the creator? 

Each game will vary, depending on what development work is required, the Authors circumstances and their development ability.


 * Can you give an indication of how updates/further development would work?

Not at the present time.


 * Standard procedure with new release is to send out review copies to ‘Slide to Play’ or ‘Touch Arcade’, will YY do this?

Yes, we will be sending out games to press reviewers so that games attract attention as part of promotion. We cannot do this with every game but with those that receive favourable write-ups we will publicise.


 * Is YY planning to invest n advertising for published games ie ads on websites, reviews from sites or does this fall to the creator?

We may look to place advertising as and when appropriate as part of our marketing plan. The author is welcome to advertise their game also but it will only be available to buy via the Game Store/iTunes so would naturally have to be linked to such.


 * Are you porting to Windows Phone 7?

We have no plans at present though we will always keep our future options open.


 * If I compose music myself, will I be able to tell YY not to change it? What if I find legal music for use should I put time into that or will you replace it anyway? Are you more likely to accept it?

This is a quality issue, if the music is legal and to a high standard, then there is no need to replace it. If the music is substandard to competitive games then we need to evaluate the music and make a decision.


 * I have been making an app and put on screen buttons that control the character. Is it possible to get this game on PSP as well?

Yes.


 * What about demos? Will this system be able to release demos that can be tried on whatever the system the user wants? Will you have a demos section?

We are still developing our demo plan.


 * Can I still have the game available for free on PC or instant play if published on YY?

No.


 * Can we see a gameplay video?

We plan on having a YoYo Games Channel where you can play video demos of games.

updated 09/11/2010

Technical FAQ

 * Windows baseline specification and technical information
 * iOS baseline specification and technical information

last updated 01.11.2010