PS3 Informer

How to Become a PSP Minis Developer

This week in Cologne Germany, Sony unveiled its new digital download service for small games under 100 MB in size. These new offerings are called "PSP Minis" and will be offered by a variety of small and independent game studios through the Playstation Store. Sony has promised that the service will launch alongside the PSP Go on October 1st, 2009 with an initial offering of about 15 games. However, the service is also accessible from a normal PSP, giving developers a potential installed base of around 52 million units. Needless to say, this announcement has many independent developers excited about the possibility of getting their own creations on a new handheld platform. Costs are still a bit higher than those on the iPhone, and developers must pass a more strenuous licensing process by Sony, which means that there will be far less competition for games that make it onto the service. Independent developers have a good chance of getting a quality game onto the PSP for the first time, but they need to follow certain steps in order to be successful. Here is what you need to do to turn your PSP Mini dreams into a reality:

Step 1: Get some iPhone Apps under your belt
It may seem counter-intuitive to start on a competing platform, but the cost of throwing your hat into the ring on the App Store is much lower than for the PSP. That's why there are roughly 15,000 different apps already vying for your attention. Creating a small game for the iPhone will 1) give you practice in designing and coding an original game, no matter how small and 2) prove to Sony that you are serious about programming and have some talent. Remember that in order to get your game approved by Apple, it has to be original: that means no ports of classic games like Final Fantasy and no emulators. Unless your game is super awesome and you have good marketing behind you, it is unlikely you'll make any money from the App store, but remember that you are in it for the experience anyway.

Keep your eyes on the prize.

Step 2: Be an Actual Company
You might be comfortable receiving your mail at "Apartment 1b, Mom's House, Connecticut". But Sony is not going to look too kindly on a development studio that smells too amateur. One important and necessary step in the road to success is the establishment of your own corporation, along with accompanying materials like company logo, website, letterhead, and address (maybe change that to "suite 1b"). The cost of setting up an independent company varies from state to state, but will generally set you back about $600 dollars if you do it yourself.

Step 3: Acquire a Sony PSP Development Kit and license
Another necessary expense is the acquisition of an official Sony development kit (and permission to create games for the service). This is done by getting out your wallet and contacting Sony (using the fancy letterhead discussed in Step 2). Sony recently lowered the price of their PSP development kit to $1500, but this is still a significant investment for a small company. Don't try to get around this step by hacking an old PSP 1000 and creating your own ghetto homebrew development studio. Sony will want to see that you are serious, and that means a professional-looking game development plan, some demos, concept art, and probably details on the size of your company.

Would-be PSP Mini developers are looking at an outlay of at least $10,000 dollars to have a credible chance at getting their creation on the PSP Store. This cost includes the fee for establishing a corporation, creating a good website, purchasing a PSP development kit, and other legal licensing fees associated with publishing your video game. Think of it this way: for the same price as about a year's worth of college education, you could launch your own independent video game company. However, the competition is going to be fierce, and only those with the willingness, determination and talent to make it happen should apply.

Burn Zombie Burn from DoubleSix Games is one of the competitors you will face on the PSP Minis service.