2004 Web and Downloadable Games White Paper 

IGDA Online Games SIG 

3. 

Working with Distributors 

Although the distributor/developer relationship in the web and downloadable space is often likened to the 

publisher/developer relationship in the traditional retail space, they are actually very different, since 

distributors in the web and downloadable space do not typically share the financial risk of development. 

The developer assumes all of the up front risk, while the distributor is typically not involved until much 

later in the development cycle when the game is nearly complete. However, even at this stage, the 

distributor can provide invaluable feedback and beta testing resources to help guide the final tuning and 

polishing of the game.  

For downloadable titles that are being self funded by the developer, there is often no specific budget, but 

instead a more flexible number that evolves out of a compromise between the cash flow reality and a 

sense of the product that is needed to compete in the marketplace. Developers working on self funded 

original titles may be able to enjoy a more organic, iterative process of creating games. When a 

publisher's financial oversight is replaced by the developer's, the development process can be more 

flexible, but developers need to be careful to take advantage of this flexibility rather than fall victim to it.  

Developers also need to be aware of the additional effort involved in working with distributors. Often, the 

distributor will require that their branding be incorporated into framing and peripheral elements of the 

game. For web games, developers may be required to integrate distributor features for server based 

services such as chat, rewards/loyalty points, high scores, etc. For downloadable games, additional time 

will also be needed for wrapping the game within the distributor's Digital Rights Management (DRM) 

solution and possibly for producing promotional graphics and copy that can be used on the distributor's 

website. All of these things can add days to the end of the production cycle and should be planned for by 

the developer.  

For online games that are being developed to promote a particular consumer brand or product, budgets 

and timelines are usually immutable and therefore call for a more formalized management approach. 

Also, a significant portion of the development time is often consumed in incorporating the client's brand 

identity and getting approval for the brand's representation within the game.  

Converting Collapse to a skill based game 

Written by Steve Meretzky, Principal Game Designer   WorldWinner 

In order to offer tournament games with a cash entry fee and a cash prize, performance must be 

based on a player's skill level and not elements of luck and randomness. 

WorldWinner  and  GameHouse  signed  a  deal  to  offer  GameHouse's 

Collapse

  on  the 

WorldWinner site as a skill based cash game. Prior to doing so, both companies had to agree on 

modifications to the game to remove any elements of luck that were present in the free version of 

the game. 

Although  free 

Collapse

  was  already  primarily  a  game  of  skill,  WorldWinner  identified  one  area 

where luck came into play. As a player advanced from level to level, the game would speed up. 

Also, each level speeds up as it nears the end of the level. At some point, players will become 

overwhelmed  and  unable  to  keep  up  with  the  game's  speed;  naturally,  this  point  will  occur  at 

different  times  for  players  of  different  skill  levels.  When  a  player  reaches  this  point,  the  best 

strategy   indeed, the only strategy that allows the player to survive in most cases   is to click 

wildly and rapidly around the gameplay area, hoping to hit a chain of removable blocks. This is, 

clearly, a luck based rather than a skill based strategy. 

WorldWinner's  proposal  was  two part.  First,  to  have  the  game  end  after  three  levels  (roughly 

equivalent to levels 2, 5, and 8 in the free version of the game) so that fewer players would reach 

the point of being overwhelmed. (This had the side benefit of shortening the average length of a 

game, allowing a given player to have more cash signups in a given period of time.) Second, we 

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