Your game at 999 Games

Klik hier voor Nederlandse versie

You have invented a game. GREAT! 999 Games is always looking for innovation in the board gaming industry. We are interested in new game designs from renowned designers, but also in ideas created by game enthusiasts. And guess what? The world is bursting with game designers. We regularly receive an invitation to review a game we have invented, with the question whether we want to publish the game.

Very nice of course, but of all these ideas less than 1% turned out to be interesting or good enough to develop into a final product. And yet everyone thought they had the golden idea. But you don't just score a hit like that! Even professional game designers see their games turned down by publishers more than they are published. If you are a professional game designer, you’ll know.

Make the difference

As a game creator it is important to stand out with your game among all other game ideas. A variant of, for example, 'the game of goose' has very little chance. Neither does Yahtzee or Mastermind 'with a twist'. An abstract kind of checkers, on the other hand, does not fit well with 999 Games. 999 Games is mainly looking for games with a large reach. The most potential categories are:

Childeren
Family
Party
Students
Outdoor

Other categories may also have a chance, but are lower on our priority list. What we're not necessarily interested in: educational games, niche games, long strategy games, war games, abstract games, and drinking games. The issue with these categories is either that there is already a huge supply of these and/or the demand for them is relatively low, or that they simply do not fit in our collection.

Pitch your idea

Unfortunately it is not possible to meet with us in person. Nor do we judge game concepts through TableTop Simulator(s). Instead, we ask you to make a video pitch of no more than five minutes. In this pitch you briefly show what your game concept is about, without explaining all the details. This way we can make an estimate before we ask you to send us a prototype of the game.

There are a few things you should take into account. As mentioned, the majority of the concepts are unfortunately rejected, and to avoid disappointment you can now hold your idea up to the light. This gives you plenty of opportunity to adapt your game idea and, above all, to test it thoroughly.

What requirements must your game meet?

The game has interesting and original game mechanics.
The game is not an expansion to or a variant of an existing game.
The game gives the players plenty of strategic choices.
The game reasonably offers the players a chance to win right through to the end.
You have tested the game at least twenty times. You have done this not only with friends and family, but also with outsiders. You can substantiate changes that you have made to your game after feedback.
The game has a clear target audience/category.
You have thought about an appealing theme (artwork does not have to be elaborated, but is allowed).
You have thought about the artwork. A direction is enough. This concerns, for example, the layout of cards and symbols to be used.
The player count is clear and you know which player number is ideal for your game.
The game has the potential to become a commercial success.
The game must fit within the catalog of 999 Games. You have studied our website and you know how to substantiate it. You know which games we do publish and which we don't.

Presentation

You can tell in one sentence what the game is about and how you can win.
You have a well-functioning prototype that you can send to us if we ask for it.
You can explain the game to anyone within ten minutes.
You have overview cards with what you can do in a turn or how you score points.
You have written the rules of the game, which can describe all the details, preferably with example situations. A good table of contents with all components is an advantage.

If you don't have everything fixed yet, adjust your idea before contacting us. Can you say yes to (almost) all of the above? Who knows, maybe your game will be eligible to be judged by us. Fill out this form and if this fits our expectations, we will contact you to send you a video.

Are you a professional game designer, and do you have several game concepts? Please fill in the details for your single best game concept, and mention this in the

Application form

Tips for your video

Introduce yourself first.
Make sure to explain the game in one or two sentences first. For example: "This is a family game for 2-4 players, which is about building a castle on Venus. The players are rabbits, who use a rocket to transport the building blocks to the construction site."
Show the various components.
Explain what the goal is, how you can win, what you generally need to do for it, and how the other players can prevent this.
Then explain how a turn goes.
It is not important to mention all the details and exceptions, or to treat each card separately.
Choose one or more typical situations that can occur in the game and explain what happens then.
Tell us why you think your game stands out.

About 999 Games

999 Games is a Dutch publisher of board and card games. Traditionally, our company releases games through licenses for titles that have proven themselves in other countries. Nowadays, however, 999 Games also develops more and more games of its own. We work together with game authors from the Netherlands and abroad. That is why we are looking for original game concepts, both in the form of ideas in development and prototypes that have almost been developed into a final product.

Previous games created this way:

Sneaky Bastard

€ 11,99

Dieven!

€ 11,99

Samoa

€ 11,99

Don Juan

€ 15,99

Zinga

€ 15,99