#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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