Solo VN dev — when should I hire artists, and is revenue share realistic?
Hey guys,
I'm currently making my first VN completely solo in Ren'Py, and I intend to finish it that way. However, I've also started writing the script for a second VN, and I've become much more invested in it than I expected.
During my holidays I went through a pretty intense writing burst and produced 50k+ words in a very short time. I was completely in the zone: sometimes crying because I was so immersed in the characters, other times laughing by myself at their interactions. A lot of their dynamics are inspired by real friendships and experiences, which probably helps.
The problem is that I don't think I can realistically make this one alone.
I can draw and already have visual concepts for the characters, but I don't have the versatility or time to produce sprites, poses, CGs, backgrounds, etc. at the level and consistency I'd want. The whole project has an anime aesthetic, and while I know roughly what I want visually, I'm absolutely open to an artist suggesting something better.
Right now there are six main characters, several important secondary characters, and already quite a few locations (home, city streets, karaoke, izakaya, trains, Miyajima, ryokan, shrines, onsen, day/night scenes, etc.).
I'm also finishing my PhD soon, so my available time is going to become much more limited.
So I'd mainly like advice on two things:
- When should I actually start looking for artists/a team?
Should I finish most of the script first, make a vertical slice with placeholders, or commission the main character designs early and build from there?
- How realistic is revenue share for a project like this?
I'm not asking anyone to work for free, but paying for the entire audiovisual side upfront could get very expensive. Is revenue share, upfront payment + revenue share, or some other hybrid arrangement realistic?
I'd be handling the story, writing, programming, direction and implementation, while mainly needing help with art and eventually other audiovisual work.
Would having a strong vertical slice, a mostly finished script, character concept sketches, and eventually my first VN released make this kind of collaboration more realistic?
For anyone who has gone from solo VN development to working with artists or a small team: when did you make that transition, and how did you structure payment/revenue share?