Shelter-in-place orders, major economic disorder, the total disruption of the modern workplace, the indefinite death of sports, a pervasive sense of anxiety and uncertainty about the future…
We sure picked an interesting time to launch this business, huh?
As calamitous as 2020 has been for the world in general and our industry, we here at Min/Max Consulting feel that we are getting into the game at exactly the right moment, to help in the best way we can. With so much in flux, and with so many of the old ways of doing things now in need of dramatic reshaping if not wholesale reconstruction (at least for now), the Min/Max team believes that our insight and expertise can provide invaluable guidance to videogame publishers and developers looking to acclimate to the dizzying changes currently at work in our industry.
The good news is that as unsettled as things may be in the world, this is, for better or worse, also a time when videogames reveal their value more than ever. Indeed, history shows that in times of economic downturns, the videogame industry is a resilient part of the economy, offering long-term entertainment to players at a reasonable price and—more crucially to our current situation—accessible from our own homes, in a way that movies, theater, music festivals, and sporting events are not, for now or for the foreseeable future. Indeed, Valve’s Steam distribution platform hit its single biggest number of concurrent users ever (24 million players) on April 3.
That creates a real opportunity for videogames, one that even the most mainstream of mainstream media has picked up on: The New York Times, which in the past has tended to run more alarmist-type articles than not about gaming, has published a number of positive articles both discussing more positive aspects of the industry at this time, and recommending games for readers who are hunkered down at home avoiding COVID-19. Nintendo’s Animal Crossing: New Horizons alone has led to countless articles about being “the perfect game” for this horrific moment in time, thanks to its brightly colored, family-friendly, endlessly addictive gameplay.
But even as there may be more begrudging acceptance of the positive aspects of videogames right now, the reality for those making the games is that—far from being a time to rest and celebrate—the pressure is on to return to some semblance of “normal” productivity, even during this time of quarantine.
That’s where we come in.
Whether you are a publisher, a developer, an AAA studio, or a team of one, Min/Max Consulting is here to help you get your game over the finish line through our expert qualitative feedback and market analysis.
All of which is an extremely long-winded way of saying: Hello world! We are Min/Max, and we are at your service. Come level up with us.