From Zero to Bestseller: Elan Lee’s Playbook Behind Exploding Kittens

Creating a successful game from scratch and getting it into major retailers like Target and Walmart requires mastering both creative design and business strategy, as revealed in this detailed breakdown of the two-year journey behind Coyote.

Key Takeaways

• Game development is only half the battle - selling to retailers requires equal effort and expertise
• The "2 minutes to learn, 15 minutes to play" rule maximizes accessibility and repeat engagement
• Cooperative gameplay creates deeper social connections than traditional competitive formats
• Line review meetings with major retailers can make or break a game company's entire year
• Crowdfunding serves as both funding mechanism and market validation before approaching publishers
• Social media marketing now dominates game promotion, requiring specific emotional triggers in content
• Testing with real families beats professional focus groups for authentic feedback
• Publishers typically offer 2% royalty rates, but this equals roughly 20% of actual profits
• Game design should make players entertaining rather than trying to entertain players directly

Game Design Fundamentals and Creative Process

• The most effective brainstorming approach follows the "Zero Effect" principle - searching for anything rather than a specific predetermined outcome increases success probability from near zero to 100%, as demonstrated when the rock-paper-scissors breakthrough emerged from open exploration rather than forced tabletop game thinking.
• Successful games make players entertaining rather than trying to entertain players directly, shifting focus from content creation to interaction design where every action creates meaningful exchanges between participants rather than isolated individual experiences.
• The golden rule of "2 minutes to learn, 15 minutes to play" ensures maximum accessibility while maintaining engagement, allowing groups to commit minimal time initially but naturally extend sessions through repeated rounds of the same simple mechanics.
• Cooperative gameplay formats create deeper social bonds than traditional competitive structures, enabling shared problem-solving experiences that unite players against the game rather than dividing them into winners and losers.
• Constraint-driven design proves more creative than unlimited freedom, as demonstrated when switching from private card hands to public card displays simplified mechanics while increasing strategic depth and social interaction opportunities.
• The "I can do that" progression must hit players in sequence - initial confidence, successful execution, clear path to mastery, and achievable next steps - creating a psychological hand-holding experience from beginner through advanced skill levels.

Product Development and Testing Methodologies

• Traditional focus group testing with strangers fundamentally misrepresents real gameplay experiences, since people rarely play board games with unfamiliar participants in artificial laboratory settings with one-way mirrors and catered lunches.
• The "secret cabal" of 400 volunteer families provides authentic feedback through recorded home gameplay sessions, with the single critical question being "Do you want to play again?" rather than detailed questionnaires or numerical ratings.
• Video analysis at 4x speed with flagging systems allows efficient review of hundreds of test sessions, focusing on unconscious reactions like eye rolls during rule explanations or visible confusion moments that surveys cannot capture.
• Iterative batch testing with five families at a time enables real-time improvements between cohorts, preventing the waste of sending identical flawed versions to large groups simultaneously while gathering comparable data sets.
• Internal testing must quickly transition from game designers to accounting and sales teams who lack gameplay knowledge, providing the beginner's perspective essential for instruction clarity and accessibility assessment.
• Instruction writing requires extreme mental discipline to maintain dual perspectives - the informed explainer and the completely naive recipient - anticipating every possible misunderstanding before players encounter confusion points.

Retail Sales and Distribution Strategy

• Line review meetings represent 70% of game company revenue since physical retail dominates sales despite digital marketplace growth, making these twice-yearly buyer meetings literally make-or-break events for entire businesses.
• Buyers have limited meeting slots and see 20-50 games pitched per session, requiring immediate differentiation through enthusiasm, props, and forcing actual gameplay rather than passive presentations to break through meeting fatigue.
• Agent representation proves essential for accessing buyer meetings, as these industry veterans understand etiquette, timing, inventory requirements, and relationship dynamics that newcomers cannot navigate successfully without guidance.
• Meeting sequence strategy places easiest sales first for momentum, reserves second position for primary new products, and accepts that final games rarely get purchased due to buyer exhaustion from the emotional roller coaster.
• Post-meeting contract negotiations involve complex inventory restrictions, return policies, and pricing structures that require legal expertise, as retailers can force buybacks, resell to competitors, or exploit unfavorable terms.
• Color scheme coordination with retailer annual themes, understanding buyer promotion incentives, and timing requests for optimal slots (post-meal periods) demonstrate the detailed preparation required for consistent success.

Marketing and Social Media Evolution

• Social media marketing has completely replaced traditional advertising for games, with retailers now requiring comprehensive TikTok and Instagram strategies as essential components of every line review presentation rather than optional supplementary materials.
• Effective short-form videos must trigger two specific emotions: "I understand what those people are experiencing right now" and "I would like to experience that," moving beyond simple gameplay demonstration to emotional connection creation.
• The viral Poetry for Neanderthals video succeeded because viewers could immediately grasp the rules while thinking "I could do better than that," combining comprehension with competitive confidence in a memorable combination.
• Box design follows strict visual hierarchy principles where designers control exactly what customers see first, second, and third, using the same techniques as print advertising to guide attention through deliberately crafted information sequences.
• QR codes on packaging create virtual sales representation, allowing creators to deliver personalized pitches directly to customers in retail environments where physical presence remains impossible but influence proves crucial.
• Track record demonstration through view counts, engagement metrics, and subscription data now occupies equal meeting time with game design presentations, reflecting social media's central role in modern game marketing success.

Publishing Models and Business Structures

• Self-publishing requires enormous mistake tolerance since every error costs money without possibility of reversal, making it the least recommended path despite apparent control advantages and higher theoretical profit margins.
• Traditional publishing through established companies offers 2% royalty rates that represent approximately 20% of actual profits after accounting for all publisher expenses, risk absorption, and infrastructure costs.
• Crowdfunding serves as market validation and relationship building rather than pure funding mechanism, providing bonafides for subsequent publisher negotiations while teaching essential business skills through manageable risk exposure.
• The hybrid approach of crowdfunding first, then traditional publishing second maximizes learning opportunities while minimizing financial exposure, allowing creators to demonstrate market demand before seeking major distribution partnerships.
• Royalty negotiations can range from 2% to 12% depending on creator leverage and contribution levels, with higher percentages requiring substantial marketing ability, established audiences, or proven track records.
• Scale requirements for direct retail relationships typically demand 10+ successful titles before major retailers consider independent meetings, as buyers lack time for single-product presentations from unproven companies.

Common Pitfalls and Success Factors

• Naming disasters plague countless games with unmemorable titles like "The Legendary Folklore of Gorgonzel" that fail immediate recognition tests, while simple, punchy names create instant recall and word-of-mouth transmission advantages.
• Box design failures include overcomplicated visual noise, unclear hierarchy, and inability to communicate core gameplay concepts within seconds of shelf examination by potential customers browsing hundreds of competing options.
• Component minimization proves crucial as Elan Lee's rule states: "If a component does not need to be in the game, remove it from the game," preventing unnecessary complexity while reducing manufacturing costs and setup confusion.
• Return policy nightmares with platforms like Amazon allow customers to play games, damage components, and return products at vendor expense, requiring careful contract negotiation and platform selection strategies.
• Barcode complexity exemplifies hidden business challenges where simple requirements multiply into dozens of format variations depending on retailer, geographic region, bundling status, and distribution channel specifications.
• Partnership evaluation should prioritize process enjoyment over outcome optimization, as creative collaborations lasting months or years require genuine relationship compatibility beyond purely transactional arrangements.

The game industry offers substantial opportunities for creators willing to master both creative and business disciplines. Success requires treating game development as exactly half the challenge, with distribution, marketing, and retail relationships demanding equal attention and expertise. Whether pursuing licensing deals with established publishers or building independent operations, creators must understand that sustainable success comes from viewing games as relationship-building tools rather than mere entertainment products.