Your initial pitch is usually done with an elevator pitch before anyone looks at any screenshots or tries any gameplay.

“How do I tell you the most important things about my game before you get out of this elevator we’re both trapped in?”

The easiest way to do this is with video game shorthand, invoking the names of well known titles that encompass the essence of your game. Something simple like "Mario meets Contra" or "stealth strategy RPG" can quickly get across the core idea behind your game. This isn't easy, so it's a good idea to practice!

If you're meeting a member of the team at an event then keep your pitch clear and short enough to fill a few seconds. Don’t delve too much into the game’s mechanics and keep it sharp!

If you’re emailing us, you might want to include a little flourish below the pitch, like a gif of some core gameplay!

You've caught us! Your foot's in the door and we want to see more, so now it's time to start reeling us in. This is best done by sharing screenshots, gifs, trailers, and all that other shiny goodness.

We recommend compiling what you've got in a google drive folder for ultimate convenience.

Make sure your screenshots show off core gameplay to give us an idea of what to expect. Snapshots of robust, unlockable skill trees and world maps can be good, but these should be indicative of moment-to-moment gameplay.

At least five screenshots, with 80% of them being of gameplay is a comfortable amount, with ten being plenty for the team to understand the look of your game.

If you have trailers then throw those bad-boys up on Vimeo or Youtube and send a link along with your pitch. A good rule-of-thumb is to make sure it shows gameplay within the first 7 seconds so we can see what your game is about right away!

We’ve heard your elevator pitch and we’ve seen some assets, but there are some things we may still not know about your game. This is your chance to elaborate!

We recommend using bullet points instead of giant walls of text. Highlight the features that make your game exciting.

For example:

2D stealth-based gameplay

New skills earned using a unique point system

Use echolocation to find enemies in the dark

Customize your character with unique armor

Try to keep each bullet point short and relevant. No two bullet points should be redundant. Write confidently! Show us why you love your game.

The last portion of your pitch will be the build! We know that games mid-development can be in various states of being totally broken, and that getting a playable build together is difficult when you’re not done making the game yet.

But a demo build can be the difference between blowing our socks off and...not blowing our socks off (in this scenario, blowing our socks off is a good thing).

We recommend putting together a build that places the player in the middle of what makes the game so great. If your game has a really long, story-heavy start then you may not want to put that in your demo build. Instead, try to put together a demo build that shows off exactly what you think makes your game both unique and awesome.

Make sure it's easy to pick up and play! Not all games are simple platform action games, but we should be able to have a go and figure it out eventually.