next »

[Dinomaniak]

We're getting close to a skateboard version ( earliest playable version ) of our game.
We'd like to start showcasing our game to Publishers and the best idea I see would be to place it there for them to be able to download and play it.
Is this the most common approach ? are there alternatives ? how did you do it for your game ?

[michaelplzno]

I recommend a short (3 minutes or less) video showcasing your game and explaining what is unique about it and ways it could make money (does your game have an item shop?) You can really only get your publisher's attention for a few minutes before they move on, so your demo is more about creating some assets that get your foot in the door. Maybe include a still image of your game in the pitch email and link to an unlisted video on youtube that they can just play with one click.

Once they are hooked on your flashy 2-3 minute video explaining the game, then you can send the demo build.

This is coming from someone who only worked with a publisher once and it wasn't a super massive success.

Edit: also let me be clear, the difficulty should be in fitting all your game has to offer in such a small time frame as 2 minutes. If you are having trouble finding enough content to fill 2 minutes your game needs work.

[Thaumaturge]

My understanding is that it's usual to create a pitch-deck, containing various elements of what you're pitching.

(Rami Ismail recently posted this template--and it may be worth looking at other game-dev articles on the same site--while publisher Raw Fury some time ago posted their own template.)

Regarding a demo specifically, some publishers actually request one as I recall. And while I daresay that a video may not be a bad idea, having a prototype-demo seems likely to be a good one: those that want to try the game can, and those that want to move on needn't play it.

And indeed, looking at this article on the former of the two sites linked above, I see this advice:

Personally, I believe pitching is something that you can (& should!) start doing after the prototype, as long as you have a number of mockups available to communicate the atmosphere of your work.

The reason is simple: if the Prototypes are what define whether the game should be made, it's a very good way to see if anyone is interested in the game in the first place.

(What that article argues against, I believe, is going all the way to the "vertical slice" stage of development before pitching, instead pitching with a prototype.)

Finally, it might be worth your looking at the following article--granted that I don't know how up-to-date it is:
How to guarantee your pitch will be rejected

[michaelplzno]

I also was pushed into the direction of making a so called "pitch deck."