Christophe De bont 
20/01/2021At the risk of sounding like a broken record here: marketing your video game is crucial if you want to stand out in the neverending onslaught of video game releases. Publishers might help you out with that, but then the next question is: how do you find a good publishing deal?
The debate surrounding publishing contracts flared up recently when prolific indie publisher Raw Fury published its standard agreement for everyone to see. The move attracted both praise (wow, you’re so transparant!) and critique (wow, you try to standardise some unfair terms in your advantage!), but ultimately it goes to show that signing a publishing contract, much like any contract, can have drastic consequences. So you might need some help in negotiating the terms before signing on the dot.
That’s where the newest member of our FLEGA family Oro Interactive comes in. Described as a video game accelerator that acts as a link between game studios and publishers, their ultimate goal is to increase your game’s chance of success. The company’s services are aimed at starting indie developers with little to no business experience who could need a guiding hand. For example, Oro helped solo developer Nicolas Meysonnier to sign a publishing deal with Headup Games, after which his game Pumpkin Jack went on to sell 50.000 copies on various platforms.
Next to connecting projects and publishers, Oro Interactive can also chip in with strategic advice to succesfully crowdfund a project. It’s all part of founder Sam De Boeck’s ambitious plan to become Belgium’s first succesful game publisher. He lacks the funding to completely take over the role of publisher, so currently he’s using his degree in Applied Economics to build a connection between talented video game creators and indie publishers.
Oro Interactive is happy to work with Belgian teams, citing a desire to help build a powerful Belgian ecosystem, but as the scale of our local industry is too small for his concept, he also works with international studios. You can head over to Facebook or Twitter to follow the mission of this energetic entrepreneur. Let’s all make him feel welcome in our local games industry!
