Why Evil Hat won't be joining YGN (at least for now)

[Tim Gray]

A publisher with an incredibly slow release schedule in a PDF market speaks to me of someone who either isn't dedicating much time and effort to their business or is only looking at PDFs as tangential to their core interests.

Or is producing stuff that takes a lot of work...
Or has work/family commitments...

Just saying.

To be honest I'd have no problem with a publisher who only ever produced one product - if it were the right product.

[madelf]

Steve,

Good explanation. I (and hopefully others) can now see a little better the reasoning behind few products and slow releases being a consideration. Let me offer a counterpoint, however (and I'm suspecting you'll agree with me on this) that it should only be one consideration of many. A single measurement of an issue with many dimensions, as it were.

If a publisher has been around for several years and has only put out a couple of short PDFs... that would certainly be a warning sign. But if a publisher has even just one or two more significant products or full games, with substantial content, a visible market presense, and a growing fan base... that's a completely different animal.

I think that may be the root of the misunderstanding. Limited product and slow production have been mentioned as a consideration by some folks, something which is looked at as a single factor in a decision which may also be based on many other factors... and people have jumped to the conclusion that it means any one not cranking out a new product every month is going to be disqualified. And I don't believe that is the case at all.

[Steve Trustrum]

A publisher with an incredibly slow release schedule in a PDF market speaks to me of someone who either isn't dedicating much time and effort to their business or is only looking at PDFs as tangential to their core interests.

Or is producing stuff that takes a lot of work...
Or has work/family commitments...

Just saying.

Which is why I say mitigating circumstances being brought to light also play a part. Right now Misfit Studios has a VERY slow release schedule because of a) me recovering from a health problem last year that nearly killed me and b) as you say, what's coming down the pipe being large products. Obviously this makes me aware of there being situations that fall between the polar black and white.

Which gets me thinking this is the sort of thing petitioners may want to include--tell us about your company and request the info be included. Just sending an email of "I want to join up" isn't giving us anything to work with aside from stuff like catalog size, sales elsewhere, and release schedule pace within a vacuum.

To be honest I'd have no problem with a publisher who only ever produced one product - if it were the right product.

While I'd agree regarding a more traditional site, the list of single products that would have a longitudinal relevancy to a collective such as YGN, let alone single AND solitary products is INCREDIBLY short. If the product and publisher don't retain their relevancy, what results is a publisher with an equal say despite having only one product with dwindling market presence and no intention of adding anything further to the industry.

[Steve Trustrum]

Very true, Calvin. There are always going to be mitigating circumstances, much of which I believe the petitioner is responsible for when approaching YGN. Because of YGN's nature, I think a petitioner is doing a disservice to their company if their email consists of little more than "my name is, I put out X, and want to sign up" because that leaves a vacuum of context and circumstance that leaves it up to voting members to fill in the blanks for. I believe the feedback Joe gives aids in this for a return petitioning because it gives a denied publisher an idea of what was discussed and how it can be addressed.