#821: My Two-Year Secret Project, COYOTE — The Strategies and Tactics for Building a Bestseller from Nothing with Elan Lee of Exploding Kittens
The Tim Ferriss Show
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 . This episode is brought to you by: Gamma AI design partner for effortless presentations, websites, social media posts, and more: https://gamma.app (Use code TIM at checkout for 30% off any plan.) Shopify global commerce platform, providing tools to start, grow, market, and manage a retail business: https://shopify.com/tim (one-dollar-per-month trial period) Wealthfront high-yield cash account: https://Wealthfront.com/Tim (Start earning 4.00% APY on your short-term cash until you’re ready to invest. And when new clients open an account today, you can get an extra fifty-dollar bonus with a deposit of five hundred dollars or more.) Terms apply. Tim Ferriss receives cash compensation from Wealthfront Brokerage, LLC for advertising and holds a non-controlling equity interest in the corporate parent of Wealthfront Brokerage. See full disclosures here . 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. * For show notes and past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show , please visit tim.blog/podcast . 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