In the tradition of this article I wrote for NotesOnGameDev.com, entitled, “Nine Things I Wish I Knew (Before Going Indie)”, here’s another thing I wish I had known before venturing into the indie wilderness.

Exit Strategy

Do I need one?

I didn’t.  While this may certainly change at some point, I really do plan and hope to continue making the games I want to make ad infinitum.  However, the more people that are financially invested in your company, the more likely it is that you’ll want to have one.

Part of the reason I don’t have an exit strategy is that I don’t see any potential parent companies out there that share my philosophy — the big media companies make boring, venal interactive entertainment, (even the Discovery Channel, after whom Pocketwatch is modeled, has awful taste in online entertainment).

Also, Pocketwatch’s value is built around the brand we own, and it’s pretty useless to plan for the success of a purely creative venture.  Our brand will build organically, and until it becomes valuable enough that I would have any interest in stepping away from my life’s work, I’ll continue to build it.

When I started, I didn’t have a solid exit strategy, but I still thought I needed one.  I don’t anymore.  I’m glad I didn’t waste time in building parts of the company that would make it an attractive buy.

These days I compare myself to a mom-and-pop restaurant.  Sure, maybe people will love the food we make, maybe we open up a few more restaurants or even go national, but we’re not trying to get McDonald’s to buy us.  We’re trying to make great food that our customers love.

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