Winner or Flop: the 10 Minute Test to Determine Potential Game Sales

As any game company executive can tell you, sometimes game sales can be a real mystery. No one can really predict what’s going to be the next Quake and what’s going to be the next Bad Day L.A… or can you? According to Pierre-Alexandre Garneau there’s a simple 10 minute test that can very well tell you if a game is going to be successful or not.

In a recent feature on Gamasutra, Pierre-Alexandre Garneau explores a formula to determine whether or not a game is going to be a success, and it sounds like it could work. The basic formula applies several different yes or no questions to certain aspects of the game, like whether or not the concept is easy to convey and if the gameplay stands out. Garneau goes on to give two examples (Grand Theft Auto III and Psychonauts) and why they did and didn’t make it.

The article makes for an interesting read, but if there were a magic formula, wouldn’t companies be using it? The problem with such a formula is this: every company thinks that what they’ve come up with is outstanding and that it reaches everyone. Why would you make a game if you didn’t think it had appeal? Still, it’s an interesting article and take on the business.

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