The route to market. (or how do I get this game off my PC and onto yours!)

Retail distribution via the highstreet is probably still the main outlet for mass market videogames - especially for consoles but it's plain to see that thanks to the internet that's starting to change. As KateMonster (in Avenue Q) said "The Internet is really really great", it has opened up more opportunities (not just "for porn") for people to communicate with one another, distribute goods and services, advertise and generally make themselves available than anything else in history.

We are still only just beginning to explore the many diverse ways we can deliver content to (paying) customers. Blogs, social networks and dedicated portals are fantastic (and cheap) ways to reach a massive audience, their really is no limit to the number of customers you can reach and unlike highstreet shops that demand a high turnover of products on a regular basis, there is an almost unlimted amount of shelf space and products can have an almost limitless shelf life.

Don't get me wrong the potential return from portals can be huge, but your going to be competing with the best of the best for an ever decreasing slice of an ever more discerning market.

Having a new or novel slant on the "route to market" can really make the difference and catapult a product up beyond your wildest dreams (however the inverse is also true) - don't be afraid to experiement and try out new ideas, exploit new niches, you never know what (or who) you might find.

Trying to forecast profitability (especially on an untested or unproven idea) is at best wildly inaccurate and no one (with any sense) is going to pay too much attention to what ammounts to pure speculation - however if you have a realistic (and achieveable) schedule you should be able to forcast what the game is going to cost (in terms of resources required and man hours to deliver), dividing that total by your intended saleprice (less any commisions, charges, payments, taxes etc) should give you a rough idea of the number of copies you need to sell to at least break even, obviously once your past that figure then ideally your home clear.

If you dont understand the business side of your business you'd be well advised to speak to a professional who does!

One last point which probably needs to be mentioned - no one is ever going to buy your game if they don't know it exists! Marketing and PR are vital to any products success (and your game is no different), there are many many ways to get a buzz going and get people talking about your game, and thanks to the internet a lot of them are very low cost (if not free!)