The journey begins with Joystick

In the $15 billion video game industry, it can be difficult for the little guys to get their start. Large companies producing Blockbuster games often squeeze out the young, creative computer science students who have very little chance of successfully producing and releasing a game on their own.

That’s where Joystick Labs comes in.

Joystick, which is headquartered in Durham’s Historic Tobacco District, is the newest in a string of technology companies known as “accelerators,” whose goal is to nurture new talent through the difficult early stages of establishing companies of their own.

Twice a year, Joystick brings in five teams with ideas for games, and mentors them for a three-month period. During this time, the teams are provided with a place to work and the expertise of the lab’s staff and resources.

“We bring them in and form them as their own companies, providing them with office space, mentoring and legal advice for setting up their company,” John Austin, managing director of Joystick Labs, said.

Joystick operates on a budget provided by independent investors and offers its services in exchange for a portion of the proceeds of the games it helps to create.

“We have an investment stake in [the teams], but they own the intellectual property,” Austin said. “It’s their company.”

Joystick’s goal is to help these young game developers overcome the challenges they face in getting their companies off the ground.

“It’s very challenging to start a company,” Austin said. “The objective of an accelerator like Joystick Labs is to increase the odds of success.”

So far, the results have been encouraging. Joystick’s first session was held last year, and of the five teams that participated, four still exist today. Lab Rats Studio is one of these success stories, and plans to release its new iOS-based third-person shooter, M.U.S.E., in June.

“Without Joystick, this wouldn’t have happened nearly as fast,” Alan Rueda, president and co-founder of Lab Rats, said. “They introduced us to the right people, helped us network and provided us with a professional environment to work in.”

Another team that participated in the first session was Mighty Rabbit Studios, whose game Saturday Morning RPG is well into production. The first episode of the game, which the team describes as “a downloadable RPG set in a world inspired by 1980’s cartoons,” is expected to be released in early 2012.

Without Joystick’s resources, however, the project may not have ever gotten off the ground.

“Joystick was incredibly important,” Josh Fairhurst, president of Mighty Rabbit Studios and N.C. State graduate, said. “The funding they provided let us buy the engine the game runs on, and without it, I don’t think we’d even be 1 percent into developing this game.”

Both Lab Rats and Mighty Rabbit are still working in the Joystick offices, but soon they’ll have to pack up their studios and move on, making way for the next group of teams. 

In September, Joystick will begin its second session and more than 20 teams have applied to fill the five spots. Luckily, when deciding which teams and games to to invest in, Austin has learned to look at very specific criteria.

“We ask ourselves if the game looks like fun, if it will find an audience and if the team actually has the capabilities to make the game,” Austin said.

But there is one thing Austin has learned to recognize above all else.

“I look for a shared vision first and foremost, and whether all of the team members are committed to the project,” Austin said. “That’s what made the difference between the teams that succeeded and the one that failed.”