Hello community,
Like the title says, does someone of you have some experience with game publishers? Which state of game developement is ideal to contact a publisher? I ask, because i haven’t found a good answer to these questions in other threads (or generally in web, maybe i can’t search very well o_o). In addition, it will be nice to have something like a guideline how to collaborate with a game publisher from people with experience with this, so everyone who’s interested with this kind of collaboration can look up to this guide/thread as a checklist for their own project (like me). A big thank you to everyone, who is sharing his/her experience with this topic (and also everyone else posting constructive posts)!
Cheers 
Early prototype is best- from the dev perspective. Publishers want it to be as near complete (but not actually complete) as the developer can make it though. Basically the closer it is to done the better they can judge it. Also, if you’re new to the scene, publishers want to know you can get the work done, so the closer to complete the more they feel confident of that. If you’re not new and have a history of releases (even if they didnt sell well) that will likely put them at ease.
That said, publishers don’t have a huge role to play anymore, so when you go to them YOU need to be dictating what you need them for. Be specific and build it directly into the contract.
@ nice thread with a good list, thanks for that!
@DanglinBob Good to know. Summarizing, when the actual main gameplay is nearly fully implemented, then it’s a good point to show it to the publishers, or am i wrong? The main problem will be: how can i/we show them in the best way, that I/we can complete our project? (yes i’m new in the scene, I already made a few very small games but this time, its much bigger) It is better to implement the complicated and important points of the game first instead of the “world filling” things like maps enemys etc or there is a better way to show that we will complete this project?
I wonder why you think it would be best for you to have a publisher? Nowadays where it fortunately gets easier ans easier for indies (independent = no publisher) to release a game with steam etc, why would anyone still want to have a publisher? If you are new to the scene and have an interesting game which is something “new”, you most likely wont find any nice publisher who lets you create the game you want (and pays you for it) without interfering too much.
To publish the game itself somewhere isn’t the main reason for this idea, more like the whole part of marketing, PR, financial and the legal parts of game publishing. Since none of us is very good at one of these points, we would like to have some support from someone with a bit more experience with these aspects than us.
@Dwabii, How you inspire confidence in both the design and execution is a bit of salesmanship really. You just need to be convincing that you have the solutions to the design/tech questions they will ask ready to fire. The prototype should be in working order far enough that they can really see the “light at the end of the tunnel” - which really varies from game to game. Some game designs it is VERY clear from an early stage where the game will go. Others it isnt clear how a game plays till its launch day
Once you have the stage at which you can pitch effectively in hand, you then need to have the answers ready for them and a good sales pitch as to what you want / need from them and why that this partnership is beneficial to both sides.
Again, really, the days of publishers is setting at the moment. There’s SOME things they can still provide, but ironically the two things people tend to want them for are money and PR work. The first they are typically unwilling to do much on for advances vs. royalty… maybe some if you really have a good pitch but I have found getting money from a publisher up front is often a disastrous process. PR work is important, but the reality is for 1-3k/month you can hire a professional game PR person.
Some of the things publishers CAN provide (in addition to the sometimes money and the sometimes PR help) is access to conferences you may not have the budget/time to reach (PAX, E3, GDC, Gamescom etc - get where they are going in writing and ensure you are included). Also bundle deals & sale events on Steam which you may have trouble negotiating as a single game developer. Also, sometimes, other services ranging from translation/localization, retail, and maybe most vital of all, console port opportunities.
Really though money and PR are the two less valuable items they offer. The first because it is hard to get and the second because the first can get it for you