Burning Ambition Part 2-A: The Man with the burning dream

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Burning Ambition Part 2-A: The Man with the burning dream

by Christopher Buckner on Mar 5, 2008 at 11:00 AM

Every company, big or small, has a beginning. Very often the origin involves one person who has an intimate interest and a dream. For Burning Man Studios (BMS), that man is 26-year-old English-born Steven Hammans.

Like millions of gamers worldwide, Steven’s dreams weren’t that uncommon or spectacular, but started because of a passion for videogames (namely MMOs) and the desire to create something that ultimately could become his legacy and fortune. And while BMS’s story might not be that different then many independent gaming companies hoping to strike gold, its journey will take on a life of its own.

Burning Man Studios began its existence seven months ago, with Steven’s dream to create a MMO that wasn’t just another fantasy or World of Warcraft knockoff. Initially he didn’t have a firm grasp on how to get BMS towards his ultimate goals but he had a lot of faith and luck.

Based out of London, Steven made some of the common mistakes that many independent gaming companies make. He formed a large team, most of which couldn’t handle or didn’t have the technical skills to meet the vision that he wanted, and tried to develop his Intellectual Property (IP) all on his own. Over time Steven would begin to find people who not only shared his vision, but also would help define the direction and shape that BMS would take.

Any game developer will tell you that no game is ever set in stone. BMS’s first game, which was a science fiction-post apocalyptic MMORPG-FPS named Ruthless Earth, went into production as the company was forming. Over the course of several months, the game would take on various faces, changing from a MMO to a top-down shooter, then to a FPS. Technology changed, too, as BMS tested various engines for development, none of which really captured the looked and feel that Steven wanted.

Another hard lesson would be learned is one that most gamers looking to bring their creation to the homes of millions of gamers often overlook - the protection of your Intellectual Property (IP).

There are a million and one horror stories of major titles that have their IP stripped away or drastically altered by publishers or investors. Games such as Timeshift, which start life as one thing and end up being something else. Or the numerous other case of publishers taking away IP’s that its creators had worked on for years to develop, only to have the publisher turn it into something that the creator hadn’t wanted.

As an example, after the release of the first Star Wars back in 1977, George Lucas managed to hold onto his IP as the studio had little faith in the project. Down the road, Lucas would go on to make billions of dollars, as he was able to hold onto his claim to the beloved franchise. Since then, from film to TV and games, publishers and major studios will more then likely ask to take control over any original IP’s.

For independent game companies who don’t have millions of dollars to develop their title on its own, selling or handing over your IP will more then likely become a major issue especially if you find an interested publisher. Anyone wanting to get their game developed and in the hands of gamers will need to determine exactly how willing they are to part with your IP. For Steven, the thought of loosing his IP was unbearable.

Too much thought and effort had already gone into Ruthless Earth for it to possibly be taking away at a later date. While it was a hard choose, Steven had decided to put Ruthless Earth on hold for the foreseeable future. Instead he started in a new IP that would be a strong enough game to get BMS noticed and both he and its creator (myself) could stomach the IP being owned by someone else. The idea was to make money and, at a later date, bring Ruthless Earth back from the storage locker and develop the entire game with his own capital.

Even as the new IP was being developed, there would be changes. The game took on various new identities and faces much like Ruthless Earth several months before. It would go through a couple stages of development until it finally turned full circle to become a MMORPG-FPS titled Conquest of Heroes.

With a lot of luck and faith, things are beginning to take shape for Steven and Burning Man Studios.

Read all 10 weeks of “Burning Ambition: How to make your mark on the videogame industry:”