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Game concepts and development for PC, PS2®, XBox®, Pocket PC®.
Proven track record: DreæmWhyrks series has over 3 million units sold to date.
The company is forming out of the ashes of Axiomatic InterRational which shut down
last June. Gaming Futures is the core group of the last DreæmWhyrks project at
Axiomatic. The DreæmWhyrks line has shipped over 3 million units. The production
team has four years of successful product development as a team. Individually, the group
has over 30 years of experience and has contributed to over 40 software products.
Bill Kerl, Project Manager for Gaming Futures, believes the company is well positioned
to be a valuable resource to gaming companies that are seeking cost-effective ways to
implement a gaming design mission that will meet projected completion dates. One of the
greatest obstacles is the ability of the production team to perform without wasted effort
and resources. Gaming Futures has a documented history of completing its projects under
budget and on time.
Currently, the company has been successful in acquiring three contracts with the
following companies:
Note: Windows®, PlayStation2®, PS2®, Xbox®, Pocket PC® , and Game Boy® are registered
trademarks of their respective corporations.
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1.1 Objectives
1.2 Mission
The mission of Gaming Futures is to provide the highest quality service through the
development of innovative, exciting products to the interactive entertainment industry.
Company Summary
Gaming Futures, LLC, is a game development studio providing Windows application
development/support, PS2 development, XBox development, 2D and 3D art and visual
effects, and project guidance. The company will be organized as a Limited Liability
Corporation.
Bill Kerl
Diane Huber
Marcus Hathcock
Jillian Daley
Jeremy Lang
2.2 Company Locations and Facilities
Gaming Futures is located in a 3,000 square foot office space in the Northwest Industrial
Park in northwest Madison.
The start-up expense for the Gaming Futures is focused primarily on equipment and
office space. William, Diane, Marcus, Jillian, and Jeremy will each invest $35,000. In
addition, Gaming Futures will secure a $100,000 long term loan.
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START-UP FUNDING
Start-up Expenses to Fund $124,300
Assets
Liabilities
Current Borrowing $0
Long-term Liabilities $100,000
Capital
Planned Investment
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START-UP
Requirements
Start-up Expenses
Legal $1,000
Stationery etc. $400
Brochures $400
Insurance $1,000
Rent $1,500
Start-up Assets
The interactive games industry is a major economic force. With an estimated global value
of some $10 to $20 billion, the industry rivals Hollywood in revenues and is now
recognized as a propulsive force behind the creation of markets for information and
communication technologies. Games account for nearly one-third of consumer software
sales in North America.
Not only was the video game market not slowed by a softening economy or the terrorist
attacks, but 2001 turned out to be the best year ever for the U.S. video game industry.
The total U.S. video game industry grew from $6.6 billion in 2000 to $9.4 billion in
2001. The previous all-time record was $6.9 billion in 1999.
DFC estimates that by 2006 the three leading games systems, the Sony PlayStation2, the
Microsoft Xbox and the Nintendo GameCube, should have combined U.S. sales of over
60 million units. The report forecasts strong sales for all three systems. There are
currently 3,000 gaming companies that are producing games for one or more of the
leading gaming systems. While strong market growth is predicted, there are also many
challenges facing the interactive entertainment industry.
Sales of the total U.S. interactive entertainment software market, which includes PC
entertainment and video game software, approached $6 billion in 2001 versus $5.4 billion
in 2000, DFC found. Console and portable software sales rose 8.3 percent in unit sales,
compared to 2000, while PC entertainment software experienced a unit increase of 3.8
percent. The main challenge is that while unit sales are expected to rise rapidly,
development and marketing costs are also soaring.
The interactive game industry is based on the hype that is created by core players. The
ability to create product that satisfies the gaming demands of core players is a critical
consideration when outsourcing opportunities emerge. This unique cultural aspect of the
industry influences how companies outsource. Technological expertise is secondary to
the ability to create a product that the target group will immediately be comfortable with.
Companies are looking for production track records with products with similar play
devices that were focused on similar target users. Typically, a selected group of firms are
asked to submit proposals for the outsourcing assignment much like an ad campaign. The
firm with the best ideas and the best talent to implement the idea gets the contract. Over
80% of the interactive game companies have outsourced segments of game development.
This represents a client base of 400 companies.
Currently there are 100+ firms that compete for outsourcing contracts in the interactive
game industry. Because of the unique cultural aspect of the interactive gaming
community, companies specialize in gaming devices or user groups in order to gain
advantage in the proposal process.
The team's track record is the most important pivotal issue when competing for
outsourcing contracts. A firm that has an intact team that has achieved past project goals
has an advantage in the bidding process. Production companies are looking for
assurances that deadlines will be met and the quality will be there. The production of a
game is on a tight schedule and any missed deadline will ripple effect over the entire
project, and could result in missed revenues and increased expenses.
The competitive advantage of Gaming Futures is always bringing in a project before the
projected deadline. As noted in the Market Analysis Summary, one of the greatest
challenges will be production costs. Nowhere is this more critical than with outsourced
projects. If a company can produce by deadline, they will get more work.
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William Kerl and Diane Huber will approach the 120 production companies that are
currently producing video games. A marketing CD has been created for these
presentations.
William and Diane have begun the process of presenting their company's services to
gaming production companies. The team has created a presentation program that will be
the centerpiece of the marketing program.
Currently, the company has been successful in acquiring three contracts with the
following companies:
Gaming Futures anticipates that sales will start during the third month. The first two
months of operation will have flat sales. After that point, sales will increase.
5.3.1 Sales Forecast
The following is the sales forecast for three years. The owners have agreed not to take a
salary for the first three months of the operation, and during this phase all five owners
will be involved in sales.
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SALES FORECAST
Sales
Other $0 $0 $0
TOTAL SALES $279,000 $380,000 $644,000
Projects $0 $0 $0
Other $0 $0 $0
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5.4 Milestones
The accompanying table lists important program milestones, with dates and managers in charge,
and budgets for each. The milestone schedule indicates our emphasis on planning for
implementation.
What the table doesn't show is the commitment behind it. Our business plan includes
complete provisions for plan-vs.-actual analysis, and we will hold monthly follow-up
meetings to discuss the variance and course corrections.
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MILESTONES
Totals $109,000
Personnel Plan
Gaming Futures staff is as follows:
PERSONNEL PLAN
President $0 $0 $120,000
TOTAL PEOPLE 5 5 6
Total Payroll $135,000 $210,000 $370,000
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Currently, the firm doesn't have a corporate leader to manage the anticipated growth of
the company during its third year of operation and beyond. As sales grow, the focus will
be on production. The management of the company's resources and decisions on how to
effectively grow the firm will demand an individual with extensive management
expertise as well as experience in the interactive gaming industry. This is critical vacancy
will be addressed during the third year. The firm will hire a President to fill this role.
Financial Plan
The following is the financial plan for Gaming Futures. The various topic tables display
annual figures for the first three years. Monthly figures for the first year are presented in
the appendix.
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BREAK-EVEN ANALYSIS
Assumptions:
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The following table and charts highlight the projected profit and loss for three years.
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Expenses
Payroll $135,000 $210,000 $370,000
Leased Equipment $0 $0 $0
Other $0 $0 $0
The following table and chart highlights the projected cash flow for three years.
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Cash Received
Dividends $0 $0 $0
The following table highlights the projected balance sheet for three years.
Assets
Current Assets
Long-term Assets
Current Liabilities
Current Borrowing $0 $0 $0
Business ratios for the years of this plan are shown below. Industry profile ratios based
on the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) code 7371, Computer Programming
Services, are shown for comparison.
RATIO ANALYSIS
Percent of Sales
Activity Ratios
Debt Ratios
Liquidity Ratios
Additional Ratios
Appendix
SALES FORECAST
MONTH MONTH MONTH MONTH MONTH MONTH MONTH MONTH MONTH MONTH MONTH MONTH
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Sales
Projects 0% $0 $0 $10,000 $15,000 $17,000 $24,000 $28,000 $30,000 $30,000 $35,000 $40,000 $50,000
Other 0% $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
TOTAL SALES $0 $0 $10,000 $15,000 $17,000 $24,000 $28,000 $30,000 $30,000 $35,000 $40,000 $50,000
Direct Cost of Month 1 Month 2 Month 3 Month 4 Month 5 Month 6 Month 7 Month 8 Month 9 Month Month Month
Sales 10 11 12
Projects $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Other $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Subtotal Direct $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Cost of Sales
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PERSONNEL PLAN
MONTH MONTH MONTH MONTH MONTH MONTH MONTH MONTH MONTH MONTH MONTH MONTH
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Bill Kerl 0% $0 $0 $0 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000
Diane Huber 0% $0 $0 $0 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000
Marcus 0% $0 $0 $0 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000
Hathcock
Jillian Daley 0% $0 $0 $0 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000
Jeremy Lang 0% $0 $0 $0 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000
President 0% $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
TOTAL PEOPLE 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
Total Payroll $0 $0 $0 $15,000 $15,000 $15,000 $15,000 $15,000 $15,000 $15,000 $15,000 $15,000
GENERAL ASSUMPTIONS
MONTH MONTH MONTH MONTH MONTH MONTH MONTH MONTH MONTH MONTH MONTH MONTH
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Plan Month 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Current 10.00% 10.00% 10.00% 10.00% 10.00% 10.00% 10.00% 10.00% 10.00% 10.00% 10.00% 10.00%
Interest Rate
Long-term 10.00% 10.00% 10.00% 10.00% 10.00% 10.00% 10.00% 10.00% 10.00% 10.00% 10.00% 10.00%
Interest Rate
Tax Rate 30.00% 30.00% 30.00% 30.00% 30.00% 30.00% 30.00% 30.00% 30.00% 30.00% 30.00% 30.00%
Other 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
MONTH MONTH MONTH MONTH MONTH MONTH MONTH MONTH MONTH MONTH MONTH MONTH
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Sales $0 $0 $10,000 $15,000 $17,000 $24,000 $28,000 $30,000 $30,000 $35,000 $40,000 $50,000
Direct Cost of $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Sales
Other $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Production
Expenses
TOTAL COST $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
OF SALES
Gross Margin $0 $0 $10,000 $15,000 $17,000 $24,000 $28,000 $30,000 $30,000 $35,000 $40,000 $50,000
Gross Margin 0.00% 0.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%
%
Expenses
Payroll $0 $0 $0 $15,000 $15,000 $15,000 $15,000 $15,000 $15,000 $15,000 $15,000 $15,000
Sales and $1,000 $1,000 $1,000 $1,000 $1,000 $1,000 $1,000 $1,000 $1,000 $1,000 $1,000 $1,000
Marketing and
Other
Expenses
Depreciation $833 $833 $833 $833 $833 $833 $833 $833 $833 $833 $833 $833
Leased $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Equipment
Utilities $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400
Insurance $300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $300
Rent $1,500 $1,500 $1,500 $1,500 $1,500 $1,500 $1,500 $1,500 $1,500 $1,500 $1,500 $1,500
Payroll Taxes 15% $0 $0 $0 $2,250 $2,250 $2,250 $2,250 $2,250 $2,250 $2,250 $2,250 $2,250
Other $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Total $4,033 $4,033 $4,033 $21,283 $21,283 $21,283 $21,283 $21,283 $21,283 $21,283 $21,283 $21,283
Operating
Expenses
Profit Before ($4,033) ($4,033) $5,967 ($6,283) ($4,283) $2,717 $6,717 $8,717 $8,717 $13,717 $18,717 $28,717
Interest and
Taxes
EBITDA ($3,200) ($3,200) $6,800 ($5,450) ($3,450) $3,550 $7,550 $9,550 $9,550 $14,550 $19,550 $29,550
Interest $820 $807 $793 $780 $767 $753 $740 $727 $713 $700 $687 $673
Expense
Taxes Incurred ($1,456) ($1,452) $1,552 ($2,119) ($1,515) $589 $1,793 $2,397 $2,401 $3,905 $5,409 $8,413
Net Profit ($3,397) ($3,388) $3,622 ($4,944) ($3,535) $1,375 $4,184 $5,593 $5,603 $9,112 $12,621 $19,631
Net 0.00% 0.00% 36.22% -32.96% -20.79% 5.73% 14.94% 18.64% 18.68% 26.03% 31.55% 39.26%
Profit/Sales
MONTH MONTH MONTH MONTH MONTH MONTH MONTH MONTH MONTH MONTH MONTH MONTH
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Cash Received
Cash from
Operations
Cash Sales $0 $0 $2,500 $3,750 $4,250 $6,000 $7,000 $7,500 $7,500 $8,750 $10,000 $12,500
Cash from $0 $0 $0 $250 $7,625 $11,300 $12,925 $18,100 $21,050 $22,500 $22,625 $26,375
Receivables
SUBTOTAL $0 $0 $2,500 $4,000 $11,875 $17,300 $19,925 $25,600 $28,550 $31,250 $32,625 $38,875
CASH FROM
OPERATIONS
Additional
Cash Received
New Current $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Borrowing
New Other $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Liabilities
(interest-free)
New Long- $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
term Liabilities
Sales of Other $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Current Assets
Sales of Long- $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
term Assets
New $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Investment
Received
SUBTOTAL $0 $0 $2,500 $4,000 $11,875 $17,300 $19,925 $25,600 $28,550 $31,250 $32,625 $38,875
CASH
RECEIVED
Expenditures Month 1 Month 2 Month 3 Month 4 Month 5 Month 6 Month 7 Month 8 Month 9 Month Month Month
10 11 12
Expenditures
from
Operations
Cash $0 $0 $0 $15,000 $15,000 $15,000 $15,000 $15,000 $15,000 $15,000 $15,000 $15,000
Spending
Bill Payments $85 $2,564 $2,654 $5,498 $4,131 $4,771 $6,832 $8,003 $8,573 $8,614 $10,105 $11,645
SUBTOTAL $85 $2,564 $2,654 $20,498 $19,131 $19,771 $21,832 $23,003 $23,573 $23,614 $25,105 $26,645
SPENT ON
OPERATIONS
Additional
Cash Spent
Sales Tax, $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
VAT, HST/GST
Paid Out
Principal $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Repayment of
Current
Borrowing
Other $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Liabilities
Principal
Repayment
Long-term $1,600 $1,600 $1,600 $1,600 $1,600 $1,600 $1,600 $1,600 $1,600 $1,600 $1,600 $1,600
Liabilities
Principal
Repayment
Purchase $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Other Current
Assets
Purchase $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Long-term
Assets
Dividends $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
SUBTOTAL $1,685 $4,164 $4,254 $22,098 $20,731 $21,371 $23,432 $24,603 $25,173 $25,214 $26,705 $28,245
CASH SPENT
Net Cash Flow ($1,685) ($4,164) ($1,754) ($18,098) ($8,856) ($4,071) ($3,507) $997 $3,377 $6,036 $5,920 $10,630
Cash Balance $59,015 $54,851 $53,096 $34,999 $26,143 $22,071 $18,564 $19,562 $22,938 $28,974 $34,894 $45,524
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MONTH 1 MONTH 2 MONTH 3 MONTH 4 MONTH 5 MONTH 6 MONTH 7 MONTH 8 MONTH 9 MONTH MONTH MONTH
10 11 12
Current Assets
Cash $60,700 $59,015 $54,851 $53,096 $34,999 $26,143 $22,071 $18,564 $19,562 $22,938 $28,974 $34,894 $45,524
Accounts Receivable $0 $0 $0 $7,500 $18,500 $23,625 $30,325 $38,400 $42,800 $44,250 $48,000 $55,375 $66,500
Other Current Assets $20,000 $20,000 $20,000 $20,000 $20,000 $20,000 $20,000 $20,000 $20,000 $20,000 $20,000 $20,000 $20,000
TOTAL CURRENT ASSETS $80,700 $79,015 $74,851 $80,596 $73,499 $69,768 $72,396 $76,964 $82,362 $87,188 $96,974 $110,269 $132,024
Long-term Assets
Long-term Assets $70,000 $70,000 $70,000 $70,000 $70,000 $70,000 $70,000 $70,000 $70,000 $70,000 $70,000 $70,000 $70,000
Accumulated Depreciation $0 $833 $1,666 $2,499 $3,332 $4,165 $4,998 $5,831 $6,664 $7,497 $8,330 $9,163 $9,996
TOTAL LONG-TERM ASSETS $70,000 $69,167 $68,334 $67,501 $66,668 $65,835 $65,002 $64,169 $63,336 $62,503 $61,670 $60,837 $60,004
TOTAL ASSETS $150,700 $148,182 $143,185 $148,097 $140,167 $135,603 $137,398 $141,133 $145,698 $149,691 $158,644 $171,106 $192,028
Liabilities and Capital Month 1 Month 2 Month 3 Month 4 Month 5 Month 6 Month 7 Month 8 Month 9 Month 10 Month 11 Month 12
Current Liabilities
Accounts Payable $0 $2,479 $2,470 $5,361 $3,974 $4,545 $6,566 $7,717 $8,288 $8,279 $9,720 $11,161 $14,052
Current Borrowing $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Other Current Liabilities $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
SUBTOTAL CURRENT $0 $2,479 $2,470 $5,361 $3,974 $4,545 $6,566 $7,717 $8,288 $8,279 $9,720 $11,161 $14,052
LIABILITIES
Long-term Liabilities $100,000 $98,400 $96,800 $95,200 $93,600 $92,000 $90,400 $88,800 $87,200 $85,600 $84,000 $82,400 $80,800
TOTAL LIABILITIES $100,000 $100,879 $99,270 $100,561 $97,574 $96,545 $96,966 $96,517 $95,488 $93,879 $93,720 $93,561 $94,852
Paid-in Capital $175,000 $175,000 $175,000 $175,000 $175,000 $175,000 $175,000 $175,000 $175,000 $175,000 $175,000 $175,000 $175,000
Retained Earnings ($124,300) ($124,300) ($124,300) ($124,300) ($124,300) ($124,300) ($124,300) ($124,300) ($124,300) ($124,300) ($124,300) ($124,300) ($124,300)
Earnings $0 ($3,397) ($6,785) ($3,163) ($8,107) ($11,642) ($10,268) ($6,084) ($490) $5,112 $14,224 $26,845 $46,476
TOTAL CAPITAL $50,700 $47,303 $43,915 $47,537 $42,593 $39,058 $40,432 $44,616 $50,210 $55,812 $64,924 $77,545 $97,176
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND $150,700 $148,182 $143,185 $148,097 $140,167 $135,603 $137,398 $141,133 $145,698 $149,691 $158,644 $171,106 $192,028
CAPITAL
Net Worth $50,700 $47,303 $43,915 $47,537 $42,593 $39,058 $40,432 $44,616 $50,210 $55,812 $64,924 $77,545 $97,176