How to Sell a New Game Idea
The video game industry is expected to earn hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue from video games in 2010, according to Market Watch.com. It all starts with a single pitch to a game developer. If you think that you have an idea for the next blockbuster video game, then there are ways and places where you may attempt to convince developers that yours is the best. The process is long and difficult, but the payoff could be millions of people playing your game.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
Getting Your Game Idea Developed
-
1
Know your concept. You will need more than just a great idea if you plan to pitch it to game developers. Be prepared with a plot--which is a well thought-out proposal that highlights what makes your game so special--main characters, type of game system, estimated cost and development time. A graphically intense game with a deep plot may take years to produce, but a simple one for a handheld gaming system can be completed in less than a year.
-
2
Boil it down. Now that you have this well thought-out proposal, you need to boil it all down into a few sentences. This is the hook that will get them interested in the first place. Make it like a headline of a newspaper story. As an example, the developers for Twisted Metal used the phrase "It's this game with cars and they have guns on them," according to Newser.com. Your sentence should be the game at its very essence.
-
-
3
Practice your pitch. A pitch is just like a job interview, so take the time to rehearse in front of an audience made up of co-workers and friends. Then ask for a critique. Also, videotape the session, so you can find ways to improve your sales pitch.
-
4
Prepare more than one pitch. If you're fortunate to have a sit down meeting with developers, then come loaded with more than one proposal. If they don't like your first one, you should have a second or third that are different from each other. If you only have one and it doesn't sell, then you might not have another opportunity to meet with them again in the near future.
-
5
Visit gaming conferences. These events, such as the Consumer Electronics Show and Game Developers Conference, are great places to meet people and network. There you will make contacts in the field of development, and they may be able to set up a meeting for you with the people in their company who make the decisions. Also, some conferences will have pitch sessions, where people like you will have a few minutes to sell their idea.
-
6
Target your publisher. If you have a great role-playing game idea, don't pitch it to a company that only publishes for small children. Research various developers and find the ones likely to be the most interested. If you set up random meetings and pitch an idea that doesn't fit, then, when you do have a game that's relevant, they won't let you in the door.
-
1
References
- Photo Credit blue game pad image by Warren Millar from Fotolia.com
