Team size? Revenue? Costs?

[ZaWolf]

Whenever you refer to development, you say "we" are looking to make this.. that.. blah blah blah..

So I've come to the assumption that you have a development team.  I was curious of how many people are involved in making this game.  Are you a programmer yourself?  Or are you paying programmers to do the work for you?  Is this a project of a couple friends, or a project that you've employed professionals to do for you?

How much money are you making from Hero Mages in revenue monthly?  And how much are you pay in expenses monthly?

Oh an how many visitors roughly do you get to your game monthly?


I would love know all about it.  I'm a big fan of the game. 

Thanks in advance!

[FrontaLobotomy]

Follow up a great post with a turd! ^^

Questions about actual dollars and cents are, as far as I have experienced, largely considered "taboo". Its something you dont do. In all things really, "whats your salary" "how much was your last bonus", lol, sometimes, even "whats my budget this quarter"!

Careful observers have picked up small snippets of the answers to some of the questions you've asked, and I'm actually starting a group that subscribes to the theory that ross is in fact a zombie overlord, born of the body of Gary Gygax. (google it).  Further,  based entirely on zero factual evidence, We  believe him to also be half demon, eastern european, and not of terrestrial origin.

Really though, some things should be off limits, and, I may be wrong here, but financials are one of them.

Really kidding about opening line, just wanted "turd" to hit on a search 

[Ross Przybylski]

Hi ZaWolf,

While I oftentimes use the term “we”, in referring to development, I should clarify that I am the sole developer of Hero Mages.  “We” is a reference to myself and D20Studios, LLC, the legal company entity I created to own all of the game’s intellectual assets.

With that being said, even a team of one is never truly alone, and I have relied on the support of many friends, family, and communities.  My wife, Kelly, has been extremely supportive and understanding of my need to create this game and has attended several conventions with me, helped developed the trailer, and put up, more than anyone, with my endless “What do you think of this idea?” questions.  I also have two brothers that have leant a great deal of support.  My brother Mark wrote and produced all of the game’s music.  My brother Mike assisted me in finding legal consul in establishing my company.  My friends have play-tested and offered feedback since the game’s inception four years ago when it was still an actual board game.  And several of our active players have contributed ideas and support as well. Hence, I will also use “we” to represent the Hero Mages community as I like to think of everyone that contributes ideas part of my team in a symbolic sense, though I am currently the only official employee of D20Studios.

The game receives an average of 300 new users per month.  This number reflects people who actually registered for an account; there are hundreds more visitors that play as guests.  Our record simultaneous users online at a single time is 33 people, which really quite impresses me for the game still being in its early stages.

Developing the game and operating my independent game studio business is a huge burden, one for which I have made many personal sacrifices.  To date, I have invested over 10,000 hours of time and tens of thousands of dollars of my own money to fund legal and accounting fees, artwork and sound effects, conventions and promotions, software licensing, and web hosting fees.

So, why do I do it?  It is my need as an individual to create something unique that I am passionate about.  I make this game because it is an expression of the talent I possess and can offer to people around the world.  Probably the coolest moment of my journey thus far was playing a game that included an individual from England, New Zealand, Brazil, and the United States – all brought together to have fun and relate with one another because of this game.

While I am still struggling to recoup my investment, I have faith in the product and community I’ve created and have no doubt that in time, with the right adaptations and marketing strategies, Hero Mages will become a huge success.

Thanks for your interest and questions and for being such a fan of the game!

[Ross Przybylski]

I'm actually starting a group that subscribes to the theory that ross is in fact a zombie overlord, born of the body of Gary Gygax. (google it).  Further,  based entirely on zero factual evidence, We  believe him to also be half demon, eastern european, and not of terrestrial origin.

LOL!  I loved this so much I made it my Facebook quote.

[the stoat]

Cool, i found both the questions and answers interesting. I personally love the way you have set up the free vs pay to play options, but I can see how it'll take a while to recoup the investment (man hours are lost forever I'd say!)

If it helps, this game is way better than, say, monopoly - which earns the copyright owners millions.

[ZaWolf]

I have no doubt you'll recoup your investment.  It's a fun game   and there are always costs to starting a company.  Most don't break even until 2-3 years after their initial investment.   It just takes constant commitment, which means lots of unpaid hours of work-- Which clearly you already know that, and have the right mindset.  Just keep working at it.  You'll make your break-through. 

Good luck!  I'll be right here as a player watching it happen.

[FrontaLobotomy]

LOL!  I loved this so much I made it my Facebook quote.

I dont even have a facebook, and I made it on facebook!

[Ross Przybylski]

I dont even have a facebook, and I made it on facebook!

You don't?  You need to get on it, my friend, just so you can become a fan of Hero Mages facebook page and get all the latest updates