A new game studio is doomed if you see these deadly signs.

You can be sure a new game studio is doomed if you see these deadly signs:

• They talk about “disrupting the genre” despite having built nothing.
• They care more about a fancy office than making a great game.
• Hiring is focused on big-name studios, not actual skill or fit.
• Swag gets ordered before a single line of code is written.
• They brag about funding rounds, not product results.
• There are more managers than developers.
• Studio culture is defined by slogans, not workflows.
• Founders are getting rich from their salaries, not equity.
• Player feedback? Who needs it when you’ve got a “vision”!
• Everyone’s working on a trailer, but no one’s playing a prototype.
• MVP means “Maximum Vanity Pitch,” not “Minimum Viable Product.”

Hype doesn’t replace product.
Flash doesn’t equal substance.
Build the game first.
Let everything else follow.