#821: My Two-Year Secret Project, COYOTE — The Strategies and Tactics for Building a Bestseller from Nothing with Elan Lee of Exploding Kittens

This is a very special episode for me. My brand-new card game, COYOTE, created in collaboration with Elan Lee and Exploding Kittens, is here. It is available in ~8,000 locations worldwide, including Walmart, Target, Amazon, and many others. Learn more: https://coyotegame.com.

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Timestamps:

[00:00:00] Start.

[00:05:21] Coyote: a game 47 years in the making.

[00:08:41] Who is Elan Lee?

[00:09:37] How our motivations behind game creation intersect.

[00:12:41] The nutshell view of pitching a game to a retailer.

[00:14:40] Salesmanship is a learnable skill, but Elan’s a natural.

[00:15:53] Why I’ve always wanted to make my own game and how development began in earnest.

[00:26:00] First contact with Elan and our fast-forged, fun-focused friendship.

[00:32:28] The Hanabi and Rock, Paper, Scissors-inspired Toronto trip breakthrough.

[00:39:40] Early prototyping and testing.

[00:45:34] The Zero Effect.

[00:47:37] Recommended game design rationales, resources, and reading.

[00:53:00] The beginner’s mind approach to writing effective game instructions.

[00:56:26] A simple fact: less complication = more fun.

[00:57:49] Cooperative vs. competitive play.

[00:58:24] Leveling the playing field with attack cards and sabotage mechanics.

[01:01:34] Tricking people into cognitively bettering themselves by gaming.

[01:08:04] Finding the sweet spot.

[01:10:44] It takes a lot of work to make a game effortlessly fun.

[01:13:40] How many games does Exploding Kittens publish per year?

[01:14:36] Exploding Kittens’ number-one seller was designed by Elan’s four-year-old daughter.

[01:18:30] Prototypes and pitching.

[01:22:26] Improving on the industry’s fundamentally flawed testing procedure.

[01:24:58] Analyzing passing/failure with play testers’ video and feedback.

[01:28:41] Risks of internal testing.

[01:31:47] Coyote’s first positive signs from the wild.

[01:34:22] Online vs. physical store sales and tweaking variables to gauge market interest.

[01:41:22] What a successful line review looks like.

[01:43:51] Line review hoops through which lesser-proven companies have to hop.

[01:48:04] Elan’s field-tested line review meeting strategies.

[01:54:15] The importance of finding proper agent representation.

[01:59:35] In modern marketing, social media (especially short-form video) is king.

[02:04:48] The best and worst ways for an aspiring designer to sell a game.

[02:13:05] Crowdfunding pros and cons, and Kickstarter alternatives.

[02:19:57] Dealing with deal terms.

[02:23:56] The Exploding Kittens attitude toward rare partnerships.

[02:25:45] The types of games that capture Elan’s attention.

[02:27:40] Common game design mistakes.

[02:29:49] How we tried to avoid these mistakes when packaging Coyote.

[02:33:55] Self-publishing vs. conventional publishing.

[02:38:40] Business considerations and risks.

[02:44:59] Parting thoughts and a tantalizing offer.

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