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GZ Interview
O~3
Entertainment Seeks Indie Developers to Provide New and Exciting Gameplay
Experiences
Founded by Bill Gardner, O~3 is dedicated to publishing games that are both fun and innovative.
On April 29th, 2004, Bill Gardner announced the formation of his new publishing and distribution company, O~3 Entertainment. Many of you should recognize Gardner as the former head of Capcom. He was the man in charge when classics like Resident Evil 2 hit the market. Now he's ready to take on the industry on his own.
At the very least, O~3 plans to support each gaming platform currently available: PC, PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube and WiFi/mobile. Their goal is acquire titles from small and mid-size developers, all of which are to be designed by independent studios.
O~3 will provide complete publishing functions to get the games to market - including sales and distribution, marketing and public relations, and more operational elements like replication, warehousing and shipping. Their goal is to create a reputation for innovative, fun games and make its own brands easily identifiable to consumers and retailers alike.
Gardner will take charge of O~3 as the CEO and President, while Chris Jelinek will join the company as Vice President of Sales & Marketing. Hanako Watanabe is O~3's CFO. Both Jelinek and Watanabe were former associates of Gardner at Capcom.
With so much skill and experience behind these execs, we couldn't help but be excited over the prospects of O~3. Although extremely busy, Bill Gardner took the time to answer our questions about his new company, telling us that it won't be long before we see O~3’s first game on store shelves.
Please tell us how O~3 Entertainment got started. Whose idea was it to start the company? Where did the name come from?
Bill Gardner: The ideas behind O~3 actually came as a result of trying to “drive” our former employer towards recognizing that great games were being developed by independent studios that needed help to get onto the retail shelf. Our team had been working together already for 6 1/2 years, so following my retirement from Capcom, I decided to try to put something together and bring these partners along with me. At first we were trying to convince some other publishers to look at our plans, but when they declined, we decided to go at this “On Our Own.” (Now you know where the name came from.)
O~3 intends to seek out titles from small and mid-size game developers. How are these sizes determined? How small is too small, how big is too big?
BG: Well, when you are small, then you know it, because no one will talk to you. If you are too big, then everyone wants to talk to you. We are speaking to most of the development studios that have good content and are seeking a proactive partner that will publish and distribute their properties and give them a fair opportunity in the marketplace.
Besides funding, what has been the most difficult thing for an independent developer to accomplish?
BG: Well, I would say that the most difficult thing for a developer to accomplish is to find a true “Publisher” that will treat them with dignity. Most so-called “Publishers” are slightly more than “middle men,” that is to say, the publisher will offer possible funding, put their name on the finished goods and then look for a distribution partner that can take the product into the retail channel. Developers do not always understand what it means or takes to really market and place their products on the shelf where consumer can see it and recognize it.
How do you intend to acquire the rights to new games? Where will you begin?
BG: We have already acquired the rights to many new games. We began right where we left off by contacting development studios that we knew were “homeless.” In addition, we used our extremely strong network of contacts that we had built over the many years that we have been in this business to find resources. While O~3 is a new company, our team has been in this business for almost 20 years and our network contacts are spread all over the world. We will continue to pursue great games and new studios as we grow our company’s stature.
Is O~3 willing to go higher if a larger developer came to you (one that the company would not normally seek out on its own) with a great game idea?
BG: We have looked already at some “higher” development groups, but we are also experienced in this business, as I said, so we are looking at quality of the original results. If a larger developer comes to us with great content, then of course we would talk.
What's your preference: a game that's complete or close to completion, or a game that's just starting, thus having room to change and/or grow to achieve O~3's goal?
BG: Our goal is not to be in the development cycle. We want games that are close to completion, even though we have a highly experienced and fairly well known Executive Producer on our staff. We think that there are games out there that really require just the “finishing” touches to be real contenders. The studios have plenty of talent and we are not competing with them. We are here to help them get the best possible product onto the retail shelf. If we do our jobs well, then we would hope that these young groups would see O~3 as a “mentor” and wish to learn and grow with us.
Are there any particular genres that O~3 is looking to publish first?
BG: NO! We have looked at many games in almost all genres. What we seek are games that can have appeal to consumers if they are properly packaged, published, marketed, and sold. We will be trying to promote development studios along with our brands, according to content and (ESRB) ratings levels. Consumer awareness is paramount in our model.
Do you have any idea when gamers can expect to see O~3's first game on store shelves?
BG: Before the end of summer, if we all do our jobs correctly.
Does O~3 plan to develop any games on its own?
BG: No. We do not plan, at this time, to compete with the independent studios. It has not been in our plan from the beginning. If we found a studio or development group that had needs that could best be filled by what we are offering, then we would certainly entertain a closer relationship. Our goal is to focus on what we do best, which is market, publish and distribute video game content.
In your experience, what has been the most effective way to advertise a game. Also, what has been the most effective medium (TV, magazines, etc.)?
BG: There are actually too many variables to answer this question accurately. The best advertising is “planned advertising,” not accidental advertising and this would necessarily be determined by the game itself (genre, rating, etc). The most effective medium, I think, can vary, with numerous factors bearing on the decision. For example, why place a TV advertisement for a game if the hardware installed base, or historical genre’s records won’t support the forecasted sales? Gaming magazines are wonderful forums for dedicated gamers, but have little influence on the consumer that purchases children’s games.
What your thoughts on mobile (cell phone) gaming vs. traditional portable gaming (Game Boy Advance, etc.)?
BG: Cell phones have some intrinsic limitations for games, size of the screen, number of keys that can be simultaneously pressed, etc. The portable (yes, one) is designed for GAMES, and plays game content. Also, we have not discovered the miracle pill called “profit,” that yet warrants too much attention towards cell phone games. We will certainly address that market when we think we have some good answers.
Are you excited about Sony's long-awaited entry into the portable games market?
BG: Yes, of course. Competition is always good. If there were only one movie studio, or book publisher, then what choices would the consumer have? We think that competition keeps the playing field level and honest, and that is why O~3 is here today. We think that consumers should have a choice, to not only see and play rehashed movies, but to experience the real enjoyment of interactive video games.
Thanks for your time, Bill. We look forward to seeing how O~3 will help indie game developers put their games in our hands.
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