A couple of years ago, when I was just starting out writing for games, I drafted a script for a small indie title. The project fell quiet shortly after I handed the draft over (sheer coincidence, I promise
). I haven't heard from the lead developer for a long time, and several messages have now gone unreplied. It seems safe to presume the project is dead.
So far, so ordinary for indie game development. Ten projects have probably fallen over in the time it's taken to write this post. But I was flicking over the script the other day and was surprised to discover it's
actually quite good. It's not amazing - but it is
solid. There's story-driven game specification there, complete with some interesting mechanics.
I think that a capable team - maybe one programmer and two artists - working full-time could knock the whole game up in 3-6 months. Furthermore, assuming it was well-made, the script and design give it the potential to be a solid, 8/10 rated title.
It seems a shame to let this go to waste. I've had a notion this past week or so to package up the existing documentation, clean up the IP, and put together a formal pitch. I don't neccessarily want to profit from the script, nor be involved in its development: I'd just like to see it brought to life.
The trouble is, even if I was sitting on the script for, say, The Last Of Us, I don't know who would bite, or why, or where I'd find them.
I'm not aware of any existing market for selling game scripts. This is no surprise: most studios design a game and later commission a script, rather than the other way around. I don't believe publishers solicit scripts externally for new games, and every indie studio wants to make their own game, rather than someone else's. I'm also aware of the quality of the average unsolicited game script and wouldn't have much faith in the market even if it did exist.
I would gladly donate it to the right team for free, but wouldn't want the script disappearing down a black hole. So it would have to be a trusted studio with a track record able to fund themselves. Because those are two a penny, right?
I'm not in a position to fund development of the game, nor would I want to create a part-time profit-share team and manage development over a couple of years. I think this is a good game with a nice script but it isn't really MY game.
And yet, starting from a script like this gives a project direction from day one. There's loads of space for a studio to add their own personality to the game's design and make it their own. I think there's an opportunity here for studios wanting to grow a small pile of cash into a slightly bigger pile of cash. It's a stop-gap project, fairly low-risk, ideal to kill time in-between grander ambitions. But I'm starting to pitch it - and my intention here isn't to pitch it.
So, does anyone have any advice on what, if anything, I should do? Is it worth putting out a pitch just in case? Writing it up in case an opportunity arises later? Share the docs as they are for free and let the market decide? Does anyone happen to know a studio worth pitching to directly? Or should I forget the whole thing?
Any input appreciated. Thanks!
Admin note: Unsure whether this is a Writing, Design or Collaboration concern. It could go in all three, so I've lumped it here in Creative. I gladly bow to the superior knowledge of the mods in this matter 
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