Pitching a license?

[fireinthedust]

Hypothetically: If I had an idea for a license product, like I designed a great system for Star Wars or some similar property, how would I get that published?

Would I pitch it to, say, George Lucas directly, or would I pitch it to a game company who would *then* pitch it to George Lucas?

Like, would I go to, say, Paizo or Mongoose and say "hey, I have a great product I think we should pitch to Lucas"?

If I pitched it directly, even if I could do all the layouts and editing myself, and had a finished product myself, would they (in this example) want to see an established company? Or would they find a publisher themselves to publish said product?

 

[RangerWickett]

The saying goes: How do you make a small fortune in the RPG industry? Start with a large fortune.

LucasArts or whoever hands out the license doesn't just want a good game. They want a good product, and that requires a company with the connections to get the thing published, marketed, and distributed. So as an individual? You'd basically need a giant amount of money, and before you could even have a chance of getting their attention you'd need to use most of that money to produce a different product of your own.

And if you actually manage to make a big enough splash that people recognize your name, then LucasArts (or whoever) might think you're worth trusting with their property. But more likely they'd go with a larger company with a longer track record.

So if you want to release a Star Wars RPG, either spend several years working your way into the consciousness of gamers and game publishers by writing cool products for established companies, and then maybe a decade more rising to the top tier among writers for a single company, with the (vain) hope that some day they'll acquire the license so you'll get a chance to put your mark on the Star Wars universe;

or do it the easy way and write your own take on heroic sci-fi/fantasy with laser swords and space battles, possibly even creating something fresh and interesting. And then be prepared for most people to ignore your work, because it ain't Star Wars.

Or, y'know, just give up on game design, go to business school, play the stock market, become stinking rich, hang out drinking with George Lucas and tell him how awesome he is, and then one day get him nice and drunk and convince him to let you write the RPG for his universe. Really, that's probably the easiest solution. Plus you're rich, which is something very few RPG authors are.

 

[kitsune9]

Or, y'know, just give up on game design, go to business school, play the stock market, become stinking rich, hang out drinking with George Lucas and tell him how awesome he is, and then one day get him nice and drunk and convince him to let you write the RPG for his universe. Really, that's probably the easiest solution. Plus you're rich, which is something very few RPG authors are.

Trade options instead. You get far better leverage on the underlying.

 

[Barastrondo]

LucasArts or whoever hands out the license doesn't just want a good game. They want a good product, and that requires a company with the connections to get the thing published, marketed, and distributed.

They also frequently want licensing fees. The bigger the property, the more that legal is likely to consider it's worth in said fees. Star Wars is probably one of the more expensive licenses out there, for instance, whereas the Leverage RPG was probably much more affordable.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

You're talking longshots. If you're not established or a personal friend of the IP holder, odds say it's not going to happen.

IOW, your best bet is to establish yourself in the industry or buddy up to the IP holder.

The former being more likely, make a great RPG that you get published that has mechanics that would support the license you'd like, maybe get some accolades, nominations & awards...and wait for them to approach you.

 

[prosfilaes]

Hypothetically: If I had an idea for a license product, like I designed a great system for Star Wars or some similar property, how would I get that published?

It seems weird to say "Star Wars or some similar property"; there is no similar property. If you're looking at dealing with Hollywood or anything licensed by Hollywood, you don't have much chance without a lot of money and some reputation. Some lesser licenses, too; Jim Baen, in The World Turns Upside reprinted works from the greatest early science fiction authors, but apparently Eric Frank Russell's estate is under the delusion that his works still command high prices.

There's a lot of licenses out there that could be get cheaply. The problem is, if you want to license my grandfather's epic from me*, you're either going to need to pay a big upfront fee, or convince me you can do a decent job on it and give me a fair percentage. And if you haven't published with another game company, why should I trust you? Even if you have a history of writing, publishing is a whole new game, with artists and layout and publishers to deal with.

Steve Jackson Games has a rule that they aren't interested in people coming up to them with license proposals. I suspect most companies are, with the exception of people who have worked with them several times before, and even then for cheap licenses, like GURPS Casey & Andy, not Buffy, Star Wars, Star Trek, Middle Earth, etc.

* Performance audit, Grand River Dam Authority. One of the best sellers of 1980, I believe.

 

[fireinthedust]

Rangerwickett & prosfilaes: Not true, unless you're looking at the specific product (although SW is really space fantasy, which was around long before it, since the Mars stories by Burroughs at least). By "like SW" I mean is a franchise with movies and a few cult followers, that would work as an RPG if done reasonably non-awfully.

Well, I'll do my best with what I've got. If it doesn't work I can use it as a portfolio piece!

 

[Joshua Randall]

By "like SW" I mean is a franchise with movies and a few cult followers

Your gift for understatement is impressive.

 

[flappybird]

First of all, when pitching, it’s very important to understand that you are pitching to somebody. What is important to you is not necessarily important to them. Let’s look at Shark Tank.