Selling ideas to game companys?

[Andr3w]

If you have a good idea, written up in a report and think that it really could take off....but you think...dam i dont own a games company .

Would you be able to sell that idea to a game company? How would you go about doing it?

My friend asked me and i had no idea

 

[Matmulder]

Games companies will never take external game ideas for legal reasons. They may listen to the customers about how they can improve existing games (ie WoW) but ideas for new games are ignored.

Its mentioned on a few developers websites in the FAQ's.

 

[iBot]

Yup, Just incase they have been working on a game where you kill aliens with guns in a spaceship and it's 90% ready and just about to be announced.

and then bam they hear your idea about killing aliens with guns on a space ship.

 

[ACESHIGH]

yep have heard the same sort of thing.

on one site (cant exactly remember which) it states that if you can get into a games company (any level) you may be able to give ideas to the company & thus move up & have your idea completed as a game or shot down (for whatever reasons you hadnt thought of).

 

[Boogle]

Games devs almost never take in external ideas since there are an abundance of ideas internally. If you want their ear, go into games testing. Talented testers sometimes end up as game designers too, which is a plus.

 

[Psyk]

If you have a good idea, written up in a report and think that it really could take off....but you think...dam i dont own a games company .

Would you be able to sell that idea to a game company? How would you go about doing it?

My friend asked me and i had no idea

Games companies won't give you the time of day. A better idea would be to post it on a modding forum and see if anyone wants to use the idea. You wont get any money from the idea but at least you might be able to see it made. Of course it's still a long shot since not many modders want to make someone elses idea, they usually have plenty of their own.

 

[nintenjo]

Games companies will never take external game ideas for legal reasons. They may listen to the customers about how they can improve existing games (ie WoW) but ideas for new games are ignored.

Its mentioned on a few developers websites in the FAQ's.

Thats rubbish.. a lot of design documents are from external sources including freelancers. But.. You have to cover your back a lot with legal stuff. Ill find you a link to a site that has all the info.. But requires some lawyer type forms being completed for legal reasons..

a lot of internal designers here got the job becuase of good design docs they had written up. (although technical scripting etc knowledge is also needed)

Its worth a try, just dont expect it to be easy if you want any money from it (p.s. avoid publishers as there very greedy, go dirct to developers who will pitch your ideas to the publishers them selves)