next »

[Greender]

How long should a game trailer be, I was thinking no longer than a minute (it's a flash puzzle game almost completed) or what duration do you guys recommend?.

[Nix]

I say just make it as long as you need to show the important features. I don't feel like there's any perfect length for a trailer as it really depends on the game. Start on the long side and make it shorter if you need to.

[PsySal]

I think shorter is better. Try to make quick cuts between very exciting/interesting things, and storyboard it. Since it's a puzzle game, I guess the standard tact would be to show the basic mechanics and how you score points, though I'm not exactly sure that's the best way to approach it. Either way, I'd avoid the "long shot" and show lots of shorter clips.

Just my $0.02!

[PsySal]

Also I was going to say: I don't think 30s is too short. 1min might be too long. Three 30s trailers might be better than 1 90s trailer.

[Greender]

Yes, I was thinking somewhere between 30 - 60 seconds. I got confused when I saw a bunch of long trailers on youtube, but I think that a short trailer will suffice.
Thanks for your input.

[aeiowu]

2 minutes and 22 seconds exactly.








honestly, i'd shoot for a minute or less. 

[Klaim]

I never made a trailer, but when I'm imagining trailers for my in-dev games, I always first imagine the trailer's music. Then I map visual sequences and effects on it.

So maybe aligning your video on a short sample of efficient-alone music might do the trick.


If it's not to show the gameplay.

[brog]

My first attempt at a trailer was a minute long, and I've realised it's too long.  When I get around to making my final one I think I'll go for 30-40 seconds.  So there is my recommendation for you also.

[Vino]

It should be as short as possible, and no shorter.

[wogan]

1-2 minutes, with no more than 10 seconds of splash/logos before the main content starts...
you can always do a longer gameplay video (linked from the trailer) for people who still want to see more...

[Oddball]

You will lose the majority of viewers after 30 seconds no matter how long your trailer is. Make sure you show the most exciting/important bits before you lose their interest. Personally I would make a trailer 20 seconds long, with maybe a little extra tagged on the end for logos/info. If it's taking you longer than that to get your message across then you're probably doing something wrong.

[KM]

44 seconds. Why? I don't know, the number sounds good to me. You will want to keep it on the short side, under 1 minutes. This keeps the attention of the viewer which may have internet ADHD, but also gives you enough time to display what your game is about and possibly get them hooked/leave a lasting impression.

What I would do is take every good selling game's trailer you can find, time them, then average them out and you'll probably get a good estimate to how long a trailer should be. And I imagine there is a good amount of wiggle room too, just incase the trailer is too long/too short of the magic number.

[Greender]

Thanks for all the info. You were all really useful, I'll start working on the trailer today, if anyone is curious and has a developer account on flashgamelicense this is the game we are working on: http://www.flashgamelicense.com/view_game.php?from=dev&game_id=13542

[ஒழுக்கின்மை (Paul Eres)]

my favorite trialers tend to be about 3 minutes long; maybe i just have a longer attention span, but i think that shortening certain trailers would make them worse. an example is the barkley: shut up and jam: gaiden trailer; it's about 3 min long and wonderful. the zoo race trailer is also extremely long and great.

i generally think longer is better, but it depends on the type of game and its audience. if you're making a rpg or a story-based game like a visual novel or an adventure game, a 20 second trailer would be inappropriate. if it's a shmup, a 6 minute trailer would be inappropriate.

[Greender]

It is a puzzle game, so a basic introduction of the mechanics should be enough. But in more complex games a trailer should be definitely longer.
Thanks Paul.

[compositeredfox]

I made mine exactly one minute long since I wanted the mechanics to be clear and at the same time show as much different gameplay as possible without the video feeling rushed.
Now that I see it again, it may be too long and slow, it could've been a bit shorter. But depending on how clear your mechanic is at first glance, 30 seconds may be a bit too short IMHO.

[KM]

If it's a hentai visual novel trailer, they usually are 1.5-3.0 minutes long.
Don't ask me how I know this.

And honestly, I don't want to know why they're that length, as I'm sure the answer would be TMI. 

[iffi]

Don't ask me how I know this.

*asks*

As short as possible, while still fulfilling the purpose of the trailer (a.k.a. exactly what Vino said). This, IMO, is usually 30 seconds to 1 minute, though sometimes 2-minute or longer trailers are best. I typically don't watch past one and a half minutes unless it really grabs my attention.

[supershigi]

I think for your type of game 30-60 seconds would be perfect so long as you can fit in all the mechanics you'd like to showcase. 

[Greender]

Thank you all, really useful information from you all  . I've decided for a 30 - 60ish length. Once I finished I'll let you now.