Starting an Indie Game Studio? Here’s your checklist of Basic Needs

Consider this your “Am I really ready to start an indie dev studio?” self-reflection space.

Do you have what it takes to start your own indie game studio?

Time to put the scary stuff out there: Going down this path means you are more than just a hobbyist game jam developer. More than just a kid dreaming of making his own game. You are committing to being an entrepreneur and the face of a start up company.

You need to get started and make things work, as fast as possible. You also need a lot of time, a lot of money, or both.

Here is a checklist of the “need-to-haves” for creating your own studio — and making it successful. Ask yourself the following questions:

Are you in the right place in life to execute on this?

It may seem like a given, but in order to start a business, you really need to be in some form of stable state already. You need enough time and money to nurture your projects, lest you run into a wall.

Following Maslov’s Hierarchy of needs, you need at the bare minimum, a place to safely conduct your business. Invest in a decent apartment, rent from family, do whatever you need to do. But please, please do not live on your best friend’s couch for 5 years, grasping at straws for your chance. The romanticism of the scrappy…