Breda's talent: Starbrew Games

Tech

Fourth-year student Jessey Novani is making great strides with his company Starbrew Games. Along with ten classmates from BUas Creative Media and Game Technologies, they are working on the goofy survival game Duckside of the Moon. They have already been nominated for the Dutch Game Awards and the British BAFTA Games Awards. "It started in the second year as a study assignment, but this year we registered with the Chamber of Commerce. Now it's getting real.

Starbrew Games is currently busy developing the game further. "The next step is to look for publishers who are willing to invest in our company, so that we can finish the game after graduation. It costs a lot of money to make a game with so many people. By the end of this school year, we want to have a demo version ready. Then we will need another year to further develop it, and then another six months to fine-tune it. The plan is ultimately to release the game on the market in a few years."

Networking

"A good network is important to attract a publisher," says Jessey. "We went to GamesCom in Cologne last year and talked to various publishers there. We also have a whole list of publishers and the games they release. You have to look closely at the games they have already released and whether Duckside of the Moon fits in there."

"We are also looking at other ways to raise money. There are funds that we can apply for, and after graduation, we could also take on assignments for other game companies to earn money. There are plenty of opportunities, and we are confident that it will work out well."

"We also receive guidance from the school, but we have to show initiative. It's actually how things work in real life too. We also receive lessons in business and learn how to pitch; there was even a Dragons' Den-like session recently. You learn a lot from that."

Breda based

When the team members of Starbrew Games have graduated from BUas, the intention is to stay in Breda. "The municipality is working on a space for Breda game developers, but we don't know if this will be ready when we graduate. Until then, we can work at someone's home, but we definitely want to stay in Breda."

The Breda game community tests each other's games, which is really valuable.

Community

“I notice that the game community in Breda is small, but close-knit. Everyone knows each other and no one is shy about sharing each other's secrets. There is no competition; everyone helps each other out. For example, I went to another gaming company to ask how they handle things like tax returns, marketing and social media. Furthermore, we always test each other's games, which is very valuable.”

Curious about the other creators of Starbrew Games? Then listen to the Devside of the Moon podcast.