At least when it comes to creating mobile and browser games.
Such a recommendation was shared by Hussam Hammo, the founder and CEO of the Jordanian publishing house Tamatem Games, during a speech at the UAE Games online panel. Hammo believes that young studios should avoid ambitious projects that could take years to develop, as there is a risk of failing instantly.
According to Hammo, at the start of their journey, developers are better off working on very small games and not being afraid to copy ideas from others.
“Once you have the luxury of revenue, you can attract investments and find a publisher, and from there things will start looking up,” stated the head of Tamatem Games.
Hammo admitted he learned this through his own bitter experience. Before launching Tamatem Games, he worked for another company that specialized in developing browser games. As the executive recalls, initially, the team created Arabic versions of popular titles and was doing well, but they quickly decided to take a bold step — to create their own large-scale shooter. It was expected to compete with Crossfire and other well-known games. However, after two years of development, the shooter failed, and the company went bankrupt.
The head of Tamatem Games also urged developers not to forget that they are primarily in business. He highlighted that, in addition to directly creating games, team leaders need to think about many other important aspects: working with staff, legal issues, finances, and much more. Additionally, Hammo is convinced that instead of launching "studios," it is better to establish "companies" right from the start, within which separate game development divisions can gradually form.