Help picking a name for a game/software "company"

Hi everybody.
I'm trying to come up with (or rather pick) a name for my 1-man company and would like to get a voting started to help me swing one way or the other.

- P.S. "Kartoshka" is a Russian word and it has meaning to me (cause I'm Russian), but I hope this word sounds interesting to non-Russian speakers.

Thanks!

 

You gotta be joking man.
Are you in the business of making a game? Or simply "creating a company"?

Nobody will care about name or logo or anything like that if you make a good product.
And even when that happens, you can simply rename/rebrand everything...

 

Both.

I care. That's why I asked for a public opinion.
Plus, learning how to pick names for a, well, anything, is an interesting aspect of that process that I would like to understand better.

I don't believe so and I've been in situations of "rebranding". Even at small scale it is not a pleasant routine.

 

Well...
If you ask a bunch of strangers about the name of a one-man-company they don't even code for,
the one man in the company will probably end up rebranding because none of us have any attachment to your company.
This company needs to be you. If everyone else on the name for you, eventually, you will be creating games for everyone else, all at once, and that never works.
Start with the company name.
Own it.
Then, make games for you.
If you try to please too many people, you will please no one.

 

That's pretty rude. Would you walk up to someone who asks a polite question and barrage them like that? Damn, man. Someone really peed in your cornflakes

As for the original question (and I answer this common question a lot) - choose the name that is meaningful to you. For example 343 Studios is meaningless to most people and so is Bungie. It's just nonsense naming, really, for video game studios

It's the games that make the name, not the name that makes the game, so your choice is whatever makes you happy, and this really is the best choice.

(btw, I voted Kartoshka without knowing what it meant, and chose not to read up on it so that I would give the initial undiluted impression, I hope that is helpful! it does sound interesting, whatever it is... the other choices were pretty generic and did not stand out. I would also drop "development" from the end. Studios don't need to call themselves studios, after all)

 

I agree with Hippo. Not sure why people are so hostile, but this is the Internet...

I like Kartoshka. Even more after I translated it!

 

Well, after reading up on what it means, I love it so much more. I am hoping for a minimalist potato logo.

 

Thanks! That helps!

 

I'm of the opinion that unless you're about to start marketing, you don't need to worry about a name at all.

I'm also of the opinion that when you look at names like the aforementioned Bungie, or Obsidian or People Can Fly or Hanger 13 or Activision or Crytek or Naughty Dog or Lionhead or Maxis or Black Box or Westwood or Team Bondi...you realize that the name of your company doesn't really matter at all. Every once in a great while you get a Bioware or Ubisoft, but they're few and far between and no one cares.

If you want a name that has meaning to you, then go for it. I'd agree that Kartoshka does sound mildly interesting.

 

hung jury on not needing to think about marketing yet,
but... think of all those names you just listed. did any of them mean anything before they made games? bioware and ubisoft started out worthless too.
the name only matters to the owner of the name until you give everyone else a reason to know who you are

 

I didn't say they don't need to market. I only said that if they're not marketing, they don't need to worry about the name yet. It would probably be a good idea to start marketing as soon as possible (by "marketing" I'm referring to things as simple as posting updates to a blog and then posting about that on Reddit or something), but absent that issue worrying about a name before actually having any games can be an excuse for procrastination.

Bioware and Ubisoft have meaning independent of the games. Bioware = bio + ware. The company was formed by doctors initially selling medical equipment. Ubisoft = ubiquitous software. Outside of those two and a few others, almost all game company names are gibberish that literally no one cares about, which was why I said it really doesn't matter.

 

Thanks everybody for voting and for your thoughts on that topic! Between "Kartoshka" and "Witchcraft" I was slightly leaning towards "Kartoshka" and probably gonna go with this one.

I am at that point where its time to create IOS and/or Android development accounts. Since Android, for example, requires a Google account - to my mind it makes sense to pick a name now. Also, if I could publish nameless with just a name of the game - I probably would.

I see where you going with it, but...Coming up with a name is not an active process that you spend time and time on using whiteboard and slides. You can be thinking of one while driving the car or brushing your teeth - outside the active development hours. In fact, if you are committing to your project, I would recommend picking a name asap. It does help with moral and dedication a little bit. Well, plus "marketing".

To be honest, I'm not quite sure why this question raises that kind of "tension" (for lack of a better word). Maybe if I gave more details on where I'm at with my project - that would help. idk.

 

We're developers. For better or worse, we like to tell people how to develop And that's mainly what this forum is for, so it tends to spill out in cases like this.

 

Haha yeah

 

the most important thing when coming up with your name is making sure that you can make an intro title logo animation thingy that looks cool and fits with the name somehow.

 

"company"
in quotes...

Something you want to confess to?

 

Yes! Sometimes I don't comment or test my code because I don't feel like it...
Finally, such a relief to say it out loud!

Thanks, mate!

 

This is like a musician asking what they should name their song or record label... or a painter asking what to name a painting... or a writer asking what they should title their book. Don't second guess yourself. You'll know the right name when it comes. I don't divulge my business on here, but when my record label name came to - after some time - it stuck and I can't imagine it being anything else. When I go to write a song, I know the title before I go into it. Some people don't work this way.

Think about the things you like, or what inspires you. If you are serious be prepared to live with the brand for literal years if you nurture it like a garden.

 

This highlights a big divide between games and other things like music or writing or art: a lot of people making games aren't doing it creatively. They aren't doing it to broadcast a message or transmit their emotions or raise questions. They're just making another survival sim or 2D platformer because why not.

It's like a cover band, except the act of making games is not entertainment while the act of playing music live is.

 

Unless they are doing the exact same thing, or attempting to... it's not a cover band. There are also good and bad cover bands. I can't give an analogy of a cover band and games other than maybe the mod community.

The act of making games is totally entertainment - do you think when you write songs you just come up with them off the top of the head and perform them live on the spot? No. An album takes months to craft and perfect like a game - then comes the engineering and recording side - which is an art unto itself that takes decades to master that you typically outsource. Then you need cover art and distribution. Merchandise. It continues. By this point - let's don't count your equipment - you're in thousands deep.

It is very much a parallel to the gaming business or movie industry. TV ratings have dropped because people can watch Netflix. Most of us download games on Steam instead of going to a physical retailer.

Both are creating content/escapism. A lot of people don't even play music live or go to concerts now. They stream at home and CD's will be discontinued by 2020.

 

I guess - in short... I see games as a limitless artform, the same I do music or anything. We have to work within certain technological parameters, but there are already more facets of either business that we couldn't master in two lifetimes.

 

@jasonxtate66 @EternalAmbiguity
Guys... you are taking it too far beyond the scope of the discussion I started.
Note: I never asked to pick a name for me. I had a list of names in mind that I liked more or less equally and I'm curious to see the feedback and to engage with the world.

Whether or not I'm making yet another survival game with loot boxes - that absolutely should not matter for this discussion. You may always choose not to buy, but create your own masterpiece instead.

Since "facts" starting flying around left and right, can't help but note: careful with them statements like

It has little meaning in the context you are bringing up. Define "a lot". Support with facts. And understand that "a lot" could mean 1% of population or 50%+. Otherwise it, to my mind, is a misleading statement. Cause you could also say "A lot of people Do go to concerts", by just looking, for example, at top 100 Rock/metal bands and how many people go to see them live annually.

Yes and no. It depends. Distribution - yes, similar, in terms of physical and digital copies. For example, we should be seeing growth of streaming gaming services (like Netflix...). Yet, to the best of my knowledge, we don't. It might not be the time for it yet.

My point is - please try to stay on topic.

 

ok. on topic. name for your game company.
how about "that one kid that is suddenly trying to cash in on the loot boxes fad to get rich quick before the fad dies LLC"
don't like it? pick one yourself. its your company.
Lionhead Studios didn't mean anything to me when I got interested in the 4 year wait for Fable. it was just a name of a studio to attach to an upcoming game.
Whatever you name your brand will make no difference to the percieved quality of the games you make.

 

Great idea! Adding to the list...

 

Huh? How many bars hire game devs to sit there on their computers with people watching them work in Unity or Blender? Meanwhile yes, plenty of bars hire bands to go and play music, be it theirs or the Bee Gees. The act of performing music is entertainment, while the act of making a game is not. I said "playing" or "performing" music, not writing it. I play and write my own, I know a little about this

The act of them playing the music is something that people enjoy, which makes it different from games. It's similar to a lot of games in the sense that they (cover bands) are not creating things for self-expression, but are rather following a formula someone else created. It's acceptable for bands because people enjoy listening to music live, even if it's not new. It's less acceptable for games, because in the aggregate people do not enjoy watching someone UV texture models and rig characters, and they typically want semi-unique experiences.

 

So do people want to sit and watch an engineer mix and master a record? Or a producer create a track from scratch? Say someone who composes video game music or electronic music. You do realize that is hours of BSing around on a computer and not exactly visually stimulating. Or a band mess around for hours trying to write a song? I'm talking the final product you hear. I know a little about it too.

The OP also mentioned digital outlets for games not growing... sorry, but I guarantee Steam, GOG, XBox One arcade, PS4 store, and the Switch store are taking a sizable chunk of physical sales now for a number of reasons. This is why the hard drives on the consoles continue to grow. It isn't just for save files.

Now, I have no more interest in talking about this so here's your game company idea:
"Sliced Bread".

 

I never said a word about the process of writing or recording music. I agree wholeheartedly that no one cares about that. This conversation is getting off track. My whole point was that lots of games, indie games especially, are cookie cutter experiences that contribute nothing more meaningful than "just another 2D platformer" or what have you. While the whole point of a creative endeavor is to express yourself, to make people think, to challenge assumptions, to do something more.

Let's leave it at that, we're kind of hijacking a thread.

 

But even 2D platformers encompass literally thousands and thousands of games... it would be more akin to a genre of game. Super Mario and and say Pixel Shinobi (an indie title) are both technically 2d platformers. Contra is a 2d platformer and is an entirely different game. So your analogy would be more akin to comparing genres. You can't say everyone creating a 2d platformer are copying Super Mario. Even if you tried to "cover" Mega Man, it's not gonna come out exactly like Mega Man unless you use all the artwork from Mega Man and copy the physics to a tee (even then it wouldn't be the same - because they were using assembly language and had massive teams working around the clock), which would be pointless.

Alright, I digress.

 

I tend to think this is the way to go. I understand the OP wants to compare a few candidate names but really it's like asking people what you should name your pet. It's always going to have far more meaning to you than it does to anybody else, and there aren't clearly defined parameters for good and bad names that aren't subjective.

IMO, a name should represent something about yourself, something about your perspective or journey in life, like a tattoo or something like that. Other than that, it's not going to have an incredible impact on your business unless it's really difficult or annoying to say, or really really bland (although I'm not sure about this one, vacuous terms can sometimes be good at tickling pattern-seeking minds).

Anyway, I think Kartoshka sounds pretty good.

 

I hope your company takes off!! Many blessings to you and your team!

 

Well.. apparently "Kartoshka Games" already taken (on Android Store). A bit unexpected, cause that would be the last name I'd try to check for availability :]]
Bummer, but its okay. On to the next one...

Yes, fair point.

 

Thanks, mate!

 

If you need help deciding on a company name, you're gonna love all the other choices you have to make as a single man game dev company!