Murray Pannell

BIG DUMB GAMES: Building an Indie Studio Without Waiting for Permission

The games industry is facing many challenges, but it is full of experienced, talented people who still want to make great games. Meanwhile, the traditional routes into development feel harder than ever. Funding is tighter, teams are smaller, projects are being cancelled and too many good people are being pushed out of the work they love.

This talk shares the early story of BIG DUMB GAMES, a new indie “collective” built around a simple question: what if experienced developers stopped waiting for permission and found a fairer way to build something together?

Using their first big dumb creation, STARSHIP BLOOPERS, as an example, Murray talks through the practical thinking behind BIG DUMB GAMES: collective ownership, contribution credits, transparent reward sharing, working with little or no upfront funding, building community early and trying to create a studio model that values collective contribution over corporate hierarchy.

It is definitely not a victory lap. And it’s probably not unique. But it is a work-in-progress story about risk, trust, structure, naivety, optimism and trying to make something big, dumb and fun in a very difficult market.

Session Takeaway

• How to think about a collective studio model where contributors can share in future success without pretending risk does not exist.

• Practical ways to structure contribution credits, reward pools and transparent working agreements at an early-stage indie studio where salaries are a distant dream.

• The real-world challenges of building with little or no upfront capital, including trust, founder alignment, developing in your spare-time whilst somehow keeping the ship afloat.

• How to use a clear studio philosophy to guide decisions around people, ownership, creativity and the kind of games you choose to make and how you want to make them.

Session speakers