‘A scope document is not your plan:’ Laying the groundwork for indie success
Sophie Smart, founder of the Blossom Arcade consultancy, addressed indie game developers at the Self-Publishing Toolkit sessions during London Games Festival, discussing common pitfalls in game scoping and planning. Smart brings extensive experience from notable studios including Sumo Digital, Coatsink, and No More Robots, and now helps indie teams through her consultancy with production, publishing strategy, and release management.
A key warning Smart emphasizes is that developers frequently confuse a scope document with an actual plan—a critical distinction that can derail projects. According to Smart, this mistake represents one of several common errors indie developers make when charting their course to market. The distinction between documentation and actionable planning appears central to her guidance on laying groundwork for indie studio success.
Smart’s consultancy work focuses on helping indie teams develop sustainable approaches to production and release strategies. Through the Self-Publishing Toolkit sessions at London Games Festival, she shares expertise on best practices for scoping and planning, aiming to help independent developers avoid missteps that could impact their projects’ viability and long-term success.