Overseas Game Manufacturing Demystified (or How to Avoid a Disaster): Page 2 of 4

First and foremost, understanding the capabilities and quality of the factory you are working with is absolutely critical. Those of us who are highly experienced with manufacturing in China will probably all agree that it is all too easy to hear just exactly what you want to hear from a factory manager. Can they handle the sourcing and production of all the various components in your game? Sure! Can they produce it just according to your required timeframe (regardless of how unrealistic it may be)? No problem! Can they produce it cheaper than any other factory? Of course!  What's often missing here is the information that you really need to hear — the realistic costs (not just an artificially low price that is quoted in order to win the job), the realistic manufacturing timeframe, and the correct materials and components that will be used based on what you asked for.

The good news is that there are many highly professional, reputable factories throughout China that produce for our industry. The challenge comes in finding them. However, keep in mind that they are halfway around the world, and on a very different time zone — communications can be challenging to say the least. The key here is to work with a project manager — whether it be a Hong Kong based sourcing agency, or (better yet) a U.S. based project management company that specializes in the management, communication, and planning that is necessary to successfully navigate the manufacturing environment.

Think of the process as similar to buying land and building a house. There are many specialized people who are involved in that process: the realtor, the lawyer, the architect, the building inspector, the excavation contractor, the framer, the roofer, the plumber, the electrician, and the list goes on. You could potentially perform all of those tasks yourself, or even manage the hiring of all those professionals. But typically you don't, because the end result may just be far less than what you were hoping for. Or it would take you far longer than you have time for, the risk of making mistakes is too high, or (most importantly!) the time that you spend doing this all on your own (or even managing the process) is time taken away from what you really should be doing: in this case, marketing your game, setting up your distribution network, making sales, providing after sales support, and (hopefully) developing more games.

The best solution for building the house you want is to hire a general contractor who is experienced with the ins and outs of the whole process. This same analogy applies to working with the myriad of specialized tasks in producing a game overseas. Remember: the goal of your game development project is to make your idea a viable commercial success. It's hard to accomplish that goal when you are trying to save a buck on the manufacturing by handling that process yourself. So, find an organization who will be your general contractor. Someone who knows about materials, packaging regulations, scheduling, manufacturing, safety testing, freight forwarding, Customs clearance, etc.