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Mochi Game Developer Fund

The Mochi GAME Developer Fund is a $10 million fund that will help promising Flash and social game developers support their games through sponsorship, licensing and publishing deals. The fund will assist small Flash game development studios and independent game developers worldwide in building world-class games and businesses.

Benefits of a Mochi Developer Fund Game

How To Apply:

Apply Now

Submit the following form, along with links to your previous games, email and a brief description of what projects or game concepts you are working on. We like to be in touch with developers early on, so expect to hear from us pretty quickly.

An Update from the Mochi Team

Hi Everyone!

Thanks so much for all the positive feedback around the Mochi GAME Developer Fund - we're pretty excited about things and from the early looks at the volume of inquiries, I'd say the community is pretty excited as well. :) This is one of the very first collaborations between Mochi and our new parent Shanda Games - I hope that it gives everyone a taste of the great things to come and demonstrates the commitment, understanding and respect that Shanda Games has for the developer community.

We've received quite a number of inquiries so we will be reviewing each of these as they come in. We'd like to provide meaningful feedback or follow up questions, so please do have a little bit of patience with us. However, we will respond to every inquiry sent to us.

Aside from the general FAQ found at www.mochimedia.com/fund, I thought I'd take the opportunity to answer at least some of the questions I've heard around the Fund.

Why We're Doing It:

  • We've spoken with many developers who want to develop MochiCoins-enabled games that we think would be awesome, but have come short of taking the dive due to concerns of market acceptance, overall riskiness or just plain lack of resources (as opposed to doing the "sure thing" tried and true game). The Fund is meant to bridge this gap - to help developers make the decision to build that MochiCoins game and see its successes (or shortcomings), but to at least try and to be willing to try again and again in the future to get it right.
  • We want help propel flash and social games development to a new level; we want to see truly great games come from this fund - games that can be considered "aspirational" in their depth of gameplay and polish. When people play these games, they will play it for days trying to beat it, want to share their accomplishments with their friends and will always respond "when is the next game coming out???". We may not always succeed here, but that's at least what we'd consider money well invested. :)
  • We want to fund games that can be showpieces for the integration of MochiCoins and MochiSocial - it will in turn help us refine, improve and evolve our own products as well as make more money for all of us.

What We're Looking For:

  • Games or game ideas with deep, immersive gameplay and polish.
  • Individuals or teams that want to engage with the Mochi crew early in the development process and exchange ideas about how to improve and polish the game.
  • Games that have significant monetization potential via MochiCoins - these are games that have a well thought out plan for creating "points of need" within users that drive them to transact.
  • Games that can be well adapted for the MochiSocial platform - the gameplay should be well suited to friends sharing, notifications and gifting.
  • Games that have not yet been released, sponsored or published.

How We Will Work With You:

  • We will work with you to refine your idea and agree on what we both envision as the final game.
  • We will work with you to determine a fair sponsorship or publishing value for your game(s).
  • We will determine a general framework of milestones or timelines for the completion of the game.
  • As necessary, we will leverage Shanda's immense resources to provide input, tuning and QA for your game (in addition to our own efforts).
  • We will promote your game upon your release and do everything we can to maximize its monetization potential.

What is Helpful to Send Us:

  • Please submit your information using this form or email fund@mochimedia.com.
  • The more information, the better, especially if it is an early concept. We'd be interested in understanding the gameplay dynamic you envision, the potential art style and if there aren't any screenshots or storyboards, at least a link where we can see some of your prior work.
  • Please explain how you would envision using MochiCoins and MochiSocial in your game. The deeper the explanation and sets of examples, the better.

We're looking for a few gems with which we can kickstart these efforts, so we're setting the bar here pretty high. I don't think the community has ever disappointed us, so we're looking forward to hearing from folks!

Thanks,
The Mochi Team


FAQ section

Q: What is the Mochi GAME Developer Fund?
A: The Mochi GAME Developer Fund $10 million USD fund for investing in promising Flash and social game developers through sponsorship, licensing, and publishing. The goal of the Fund is to assist developers in launching and building rockstar premium games on the Mochi platform, and to cultivate long term relationships with Flash and social game developers looking to build world-class games and businesses.

The Mochi GAME Developer Fund is a joint effort between Mochi Media, Inc. and its parent company, Shanda Games Limited, China’s leading online game companies (Nasdaq: GAME). The initiative will be managed by members of the management team of Mochi Media and Shanda Games.

Q: Why did Mochi Media and Shanda Games Limited establish the Mochi GAME Developer Fund?
A: Shanda Games believes that Mochi Media has developed the pre-eminent game monetization and distribution platform, reaching over 140 million global users each month. Shanda Games has established the Mochi GAME Developer Fund to support the growth of premium Flash and social games using the Mochi platform.

Q: What is the target deal size for the Mochi GAME Developer Fund?
A: The Mochi GAME Developer Fund intends to partner with Flash and social game developers on a sponsorship, licensing or publishing basis anywhere from $1,000 to $100,000. Additional consideration may be given to other types of relationships on a case-by-case basis. Generally, the funds will be given upon the achievement of certain milestones of the game development process. The specific milestones can be discussed with the Mochi GAME Developer Fund team.

Q: Why should game developers work with the Mochi GAME Developer Fund?
A: First of all, Mochi Media has always taken pride in working hard for the developer community. We know how much care, effort and time goes into your creations. That's why we've built industry-leading analytics, monetization and distribution that touches 140 million global users each month - we succeed by wholly supporting your efforts as a game developer. Shanda Games has similarly built a company which generated $704mm USD in annual revenues in 2009 and is focused on the monetization of game players through finely-tuned gameplay mechanics, secure infrastructure and world-class QA resources. We will leverage each of our respective strengths to help you build the highest-monetizing game possible.

As part of our working relationship, Mochi and Shanda Games will obviously provide you with financial support - we want you to feel that your work has been fairly rewarded. However, we also want to be your partner throughout the game development process - providing advice, QA assistance and distribution for your game. Through the use of MochiCoins and other Mochi services, you will gain access to one of the largest network of users in the gaming space. You will also be included as an early beta user for new Mochi services before they are launched – your feedback will directly affect the development of these new services. With the support of Shanda Games, we will seek additional opportunities to distribute and monetize your game across Asia, which boasts the largest universe of online gamers in the world. We want our relationship with you to be long-term and lasting well beyond your first game funded through us.

Q: What types of games is the Mochi GAME Developer Fund seeking?
A: We are open to Flash and social games of all genres and gameplay types targeting all kinds of audiences. Particular attention will be given to games that have high potential to monetize via MochiCoins microtransactions, include social elements that may be enhanced via MochiSocial or are particularly great games.

Q: I don’t live in the United States. Can I still work with the Mochi GAME Developer Fund?
A: Absolutely! Flash and social game developers are located all across the world. We care less about where you live and care more about helping you build great games using the Mochi platform.

Q: Do my games need to be English-language in order to qualify for the Mochi GAME Developer Fund?
A: Generally speaking, your game should be in either the English or Chinese language. However, exceptions will be made on a case-by-case basis. Please contact us at fund@mochimedia.com to inquire about your specific game.

Q: How can I be sponsored by the Mochi GAME Developer Fund?
A: Flash and social games developers seeking to work with the Mochi GAME Developer Fund should refer to the website located at www.mochimedia.com/fund and contact the Mochi team at fund@mochimedia.com. At a minimum, the games will be expected to integrate services from the Mochi platform, including, but not limited to the use of the MochiCoins virtual currency service and where applicable, the MochiSocial service for enhancing the viral distribution of games.

Q: Where can I find more information about MochiCoins, MochiSocial and other Mochi services?
A: Basic information about the Mochi platform can be found at www.mochimedia.com/developers. Specific information about Mochi’s services can be found at www.mochimedia.com/support/dev_faq

Q: How many game developers will the Mochi GAME Developer Fund invest in?
A: As long as game developers are willing to develop good, quality premium Flash and social games, we will continue to find ways to support these efforts through both financial and product development means.

Q: If I have already developed a premium game, can I still get funded by the Mochi GAME Developer Fund?
A: The Mochi GAME Developer Fund is targeted towards new, unreleased games. Ideally, our team would work with you from the inception of your game idea, helping you create a game that reaches its fullest monetization and distribution potential. However, certain exceptions may be made for existing games with a significant track record of success.

Q: Who is managing the Mochi GAME Developer Fund?
A: The Mochi GAME Developer Fund is managed by Justin Wong, who is general manager and vice president of business development at Mochi Media, and Joe Zhou, who manages Shanda Games’ investment fund in online game studios.

Q: How do I get in contact with the team from the Mochi GAME Developer Fund?
A: Please visit www.mochimedia.com/fund or contact us at fund@mochimedia.com with any information you have about your game (description, website, early artwork, etc). We will respond to you quickly to schedule some time to chat about your game.

Q: I am a game developer and have more questions. Who can I follow up with?
A: Please email fund@mochimedia.com. One of the managers of the Mochi GAME Developer Fund will respond to you as soon as possible.