Pitching your game: The essentials you need to know

Preparing a pitch [read Part 1 here] may not be as exciting as game development, but the more work you put in up front, the more likely it is that you’ll reach your goals later. I suggest that your pitches contain the following:

• An elevator pitch: Yes, your eyes are rolling around at the mere thought of this cliche, but it’s an amazing conversation starter and a great way to get folks interested in your game quickly. I recently described A Plague Tale: Innocence to some friends as Hellblade and The Last of Us-meets-Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons — they were instantly able to decide if A Plague Tale was for them or not.
• A GIF: An interesting visual or some gameplay in a small enough file that the funding source can easily send it to others through email or text. The people you’re meeting with are highly social. Give them something to share, and it’ll go a long way. Heck, you can even reuse the GIF for your social media to gain interest and get folks to come to your website — that’s two benefits for the price of one.
• A prototype: Whether it’s a first playable, a vertical slice, or something else, please take the time to nail this asset. Given the amount of your funding request, this needs to be fun immediately. It can be short and focus on gameplay and feel. If you don’t have fun playing the prototype, chances are neither will the person sitting across the table, which means you won’t walk away with the funding you need.
• A gameplay video: Preferably, show off something cool and visually appealing that won’t be seen in the prototype or something that shows off “unforgettable moments.” This approach, if done correctly, will leave the funding source wanting more or even coming back to the prototype to ask “where do I find that?” It’s OK to include a teaser/promotional video as well, but remember that a gameplay video is paramount.
• A presentation deck: Include details from the list below in 10 to 12 slides or fewer. Start by answering these basic journalistic questions, with a video game slant, to give the funding source the right information to help them decide in your favor.
  • Who: Who is the game for?
  • What: What is the game? What will it cost? What engine is the game built in?
  • Where: Where is the audience for this game? What else are they playing (list of three to five games)?
  • When: When did development start? When will the game be ready?
  • Why: Why are consumers going to care? Why will they stop playing something else to play your game?
  • Complete budget breakdown: Include how much you’ve already invested and how much you hope to receive for funding. I’ve seen a lot of developers forget to give themselves credit for what they’ve already put into the project in terms of real money and sweat equity. If you don’t give yourself credit for this, no one else will. This can also help you negotiate a better deal because you will have reduced the project’s risk a bit. By the way, don’t provide round numbers in your budget unless they’re 100% accurate. Round numbers generally paint one of two pictures in the minds of funding sources: you haven’t done enough research or you’re dishonest about your previous and projected spends.
  • Will this project be your sole focus? Is your team working on any other games on the side?
  • Reasons to believe why you are the studio to make this game and how you can deliver the final product.
  • The game(s) you have shipped together as a team and/or individually
  • Unique selling points (game features, etc.).
  • The initial release platform and any future porting opportunities.

For those in the earliest stages of development, include at least a few images from your game’s “visual target” (what you expect the game to look like when it’s done). Don’t expect anyone else to imagine your game or get into your head to understand your vision — be prepared to show it off and convince the funding source that players will spend their time in the game.