gameover: how to validate demand and launch to rabid fans on day one

By Sean Tierney

How to pre-validate game demand and launchto a group of rabid fans on day one.

Distribution & Product-Market Fit

Pre Post

Product-Market Fit

Searching for b-model Focused on growth

Stages of Development of any Venture

My creds

Your greatest threat = apathy

CustDev Lean Canvas

What is Customer Development?

Brainchild of Steve Blank

“Four Steps to the Epiphany” = seminal work. The revised sequel 10yrs later is “Startup Owner’s Manual”

Answers don’t exist within the building... therefore, get out of the building and talk to your potential customers!

Need to intimately understand the problem & customer before pushing your solution

CustDev = framework for doing entrepreneurship. Focus on P-M fit first then worry about growth. Stages are like “orbits” - must achieve escape velocity to move to next.

Google: “Steve Blank Udacity”

What is the Lean Startup?Mindset of experimentation

Eric Ries’ book (apprentice has gotten more attention)

Originates from Toyota lean manufacturing principles applied to startups

De-risk the most threatening aspects early

Build / Measure / Learn

Validated learning as the unit of progress

Innovation accounting via the Canvas

When you distill it all down Lean is about systematically...

Reducing risk, uncertainty & waste

Example

Example

What is the Business Model Canvas?

An iterative “report card” to track validated learning

Replacement for the business plan

Snapshot of current understanding of the startup

Vessel for sharing and getting input from advisors

Need a volunteer

http://leancanvas.com/

Where does your greatest uncertainty lie?

Learn, Build, MeasureWhere does the greatest uncertainty lie and what is the risk to the success of the product?

What testable hypotheses can we form to de-risk this?

What data would we need to collect to confirm or refute these hypotheses?

What experiments would we need to conduct in order to collect that data?

Now go run these experiments.

Rinse and repeat...

Example

Qualitative over quantitative early on

Google: “Steve Blank Udacity”

Pre Post

Product-Market Fit

Searching for b-model Focused on growth

Stages of Development of any Venture

+Lifecycle Marketing

+Process Automation

Pre-launch list-building ideas

Blog about game creation / inspiration process

FB campaign for VIP super-secret sneak peek

Do podcast interviews with other game creators

“Proceeds during X days donated to charitable cause”

Contest drawing for access to XYZ awesome thing (donated by sponsor you find)

Give away one year subscription to PC Gamer Mag - MCI “Friends ‘n Family” style campaign

Now that you have a list...

Never abuse it

Exceed original expectation

Show the human, personal side (no marketing-speak)

Exclusive privileges

Always grandfather early-adopters on price increases

Shameless Self-Promo for Grid7

Lifecycle Marketing & Automation

How do you recycle?

Follow these three people:

Questions?

Sean Tierneysean@grid7.com@scrollinondubs

grid7.com