Game Design Offer

Question 1

What is a game design consultancy?

Accepted Answer

A game design consultancy supports teams in validating and improving their core gameplay. If you already have an experienced game designer, we complement their work with outside perspective and support. If your team lacks experience, we can guide your designer, provide training, and help ensure the foundation of your game is solid.

Question 2

Why is building a game design foundation important?

Accepted Answer

Without a clear foundation, projects often overscope, stall, or waste development resources. A strong foundation ensures that the core gameplay loop is tested early, feedback is gathered quickly, and the design aligns with production constraints. This saves time, reduces risk, and helps teams move confidently from concept to demo.

Question 3

How do you prototype during the foundation stage?

Accepted Answer

Prototyping can take many forms, depending on the game. It might be a rulebook sketch, a paper or card prototype, a physical exercise, or a digital build. The goal is always to test the player experience as early and cheaply as possible before committing full development resources.

Question 4

What is playtesting in game design foundations?

Accepted Answer

Playtesting is the process of putting prototypes in front of real players to observe how they interact, where they struggle, and what excites them. Feedback is then used to refine mechanics and validate whether the intended experience matches reality. Playtesting is repeated in cycles until the foundation is strong enough to move forward.

Question 5

Who should hire a game design consultant?

Accepted Answer

Indie developers who want to strengthen their ideas before investing heavily in production benefit the most from this service. If you’re an indie team with a strong vision but need help with structure, scope, or early testing, a consultant can guide you through the foundation stage. Larger studios often have trained designers in-house, but indies gain massive value by bringing in outside expertise early.

Question 6

How do game design consultants help improve player engagement?

Accepted Answer

We identify why mechanics may not be resonating, refine systems, and ensure the game delivers on the intended player experience. By testing assumptions early, we help reduce churn and improve long-term engagement.

Question 7

At what stage should I hire a game design consultant?

Accepted Answer

The best time is during prototyping or pre-production, when ideas are still flexible. In mid-production, we can step in to uncover gaps, diagnose why players aren’t engaging, and help “stop the bleeding” before it impacts your launch.

Question 8

Do consultants work with prototypes?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Prototypes are one of the best times to bring us in. We can validate what’s working, refine mechanics, and help you test engagement before you commit major resources to full production.

Question 9

Do game design consultancies help with finished games?

Accepted Answer

Yes, but with limits. We can help identify and resolve bottlenecks that prevent players from fully engaging, such as unclear mechanics, progression issues, or usability gaps. However, if a finished game has major design flaws, those are much harder to overcome late in development. In those cases, our role is to help you minimize risks, learn from the experience, and refocus efforts on building stronger foundations for your next game.

Question 10

Can consultants help improve mobile game design?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Many indie teams struggle with retention and monetization. We help you validate mechanics and design loops that keep mobile players engaged.

Question 11

Can I hire a game design consultant for just an early prototype?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Many developers bring me in at the idea stage to quickly test prototypes, playtest, and identify what makes the game compelling before committing to full development.

Question 12

Can game design consultants help prepare a pitch for investors or publishers?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely. By refining your prototype and uncovering the game’s value proposition, I can help you create a stronger pitch that demonstrates player appeal and project viability.

Question 13

What’s the difference between playtesting and QA testing?

Accepted Answer

Playtesting is about understanding how real players experience your game: what’s fun, what’s confusing, what feels rewarding. QA testing focuses on finding technical bugs. My work emphasizes playtesting to improve design foundations.

Question 14

Do game design consultants help identify the target player?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Part of building strong design foundations is knowing who your game is for. I guide you through creating a player profile that clarifies your audience, their motivations, and how your game can best engage them.

Question 15

Can a consultant help me create a player profile?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely. A player profile is a simple tool to understand your ideal player, their interests, play habits, and expectations. This helps shape mechanics, progression, and even the look and feel of your prototype.

Question 16

Do game design consultants offer monetization advice?

Accepted Answer

While I don’t handle full business development, I do help identify a realistic pricing and monetization approach by comparing your concept and scope to similar games in the market. This ensures your design choices support your business goals.

Question 17

Can you help estimate the right price point for my game?

Accepted Answer

Yes. By analyzing games with similar scope, style, and audience, I can suggest a target cost and monetization model. This helps you align your game design with both player expectations and revenue potential.

Stuck With Your Game Project? Let’s Fix the Foundation.

Hire a Game Design Consultant to validate prototypes, uncover risks, and set the right priorities.

I help indie teams validate ideas, set priorities, and build demos, so your project can actually finish.

Not sure yet? See how the process works below 👇

Who Is This For?

If you’re an indie dev or small team with a game that just isn’t connecting with players, this is for you.

💡

"We have lots of ideas, but players don’t ‘get the game yet."

⚡

"We’ve put in a lot of work, but it’s unclear which parts are really working."

🧩

"Our mechanics feel disconnected, and we’re not sure how they fit together."

🎯

"We’re not sure if our budget or scope is realistic enough to actually finish."

Your game deserves a clear path forward, let’s explore what makes it unique.

What Makes This Program Different?

Our 3 design pillars are crafted to help game creators like you turn ideas into experiences that truly connect with players:

01

Core Gameplay Validation

Define and test your game’s foundation through structured prototyping and playtesting. We help you quickly identify what’s fun, engaging, and worth building, so you don’t waste months chasing weak ideas.

02

Player-Centered Design Framework

Shape mechanics and features around real audience needs. Our framework leverages personas, playtest feedback, and design loops, ensuring your game resonates with players and is backed by data you can use in pitches.

03

Vision-to-Feature Alignment

Bridge the gap between creative ambition, production reality, and funding requirements. We help you prioritize features that deliver on your vision while keeping development feasible, aligned, and financially realistic.

Turn your idea into a demo players love and investors trust.

What You’ll Walk Away With?

It’s not just feedback, it’s clarity. These are the outcomes developers consistently see when they put design foundations in place before full production.

🎯

Avoid wasted effort by focusing only on what matters.

🎮

Test gameplay early instead of betting everything on a guess.

👥

Know your players so your game is built for the right audience.

🧩

Spot weak mechanics before they become expensive mistakes.

💰

Establish a realistic budget so you don’t run out mid-project.

🚀

Move forward faster with a roadmap grounded in evidence.

You don’t have to guess what makes your game work, let’s find out together.

What You’ll Get When You Book?

Early prototype review with design-focused feedback

Playtesting insights to identify what engages players

Player profile outline to clarify your target audience

Core gameplay loop assessment for clarity and cohesion

Budget and scope guidance to avoid underfunding or missing key roles

Actionable roadmap recommendations to strengthen your project’s foundation

What It’s Like To Work With Us?

People I’ve worked with on titles like Pokemon Go, Minecraft, Halo Infinite, and more:

Every successful game starts with clarity. Let’s bring it to your project today.

Projects our team has worked on

Pokemon GO

Ark Survival Evolved

Minecraft

Halo Infinite

Catan

Crucible

Elo Hell

Epsilon

Pokemon Go

Ark Survival Evolved

Minecraft

Halo Infinite

Catan

Crucible

Elo Hell

Epsilon

Toño Jiménez

Game Design & Development Strategy Consultant

With 11+ years in game programming and 5+ years mentoring developers, Toño helps teams discover what makes their games truly shine. He has supported projects from early prototypes to shipped titles like Halo Infinite, Minecraft, Ark: Survival Evolved, and Pokémon GO.

Toño blends technical fluency with a facilitator’s mindset. In this program, we help you identify your game’s core value, test it through prototyping and playtesting, uncover risks like budget or scope gaps, and give you the clarity to move forward with confidence.

Our Guarantee

You don’t need more guesswork, you need a plan.

If you don’t walk away from our first week with a clear, actionable plan, including priorities, risks, and next steps, we’ll refund 100% of your investment. No catch, no hoops.

You can expect focused guidance, fast communication, and dedicated support as you build stronger design foundations.

Don’t guess what makes your game fun. Let’s prove it together.