How to pitch your game. Part 4: Shapes & Pitch Deck.

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Given the importance of this topic, a single post would not suffice to cover it well enough. Therefore, it has been split into four parts to ensure comprehensive coverage:

• Part 1: Description & Basics
• Part 2: Game Content & Storytelling
• Part 3: Budget & Timeline
• Part 4: Shapes & Pitch Deck

There are so many nuances to explore when it comes to mastering the art of pitching, and perhaps one of the most prevalent tools in this endeavor is the pitch deck. This concise document has the unique ability to encapsulate a game’s essence through a strategic blend of words and visuals. Let’s delve into the intricacies of crafting a pitch deck to effectively showcase your game project.

100 shapes of pitch

A pitch can take many shapes. From a long PDF document to a quick non-prepared elevator pitch delivered in a hallway. A pitch, whatever its form, aims at explaining a game idea and convincing the audience of its potential. Even with its many forms not all kinds of pitches are adapted to the same situation or audience. When pitching in a closed room at a huge and loud video game event in front of investors, the way to pitch and the tone will most likely be very different from the one delivered in local game events surrounded only by fellow game developers and players.

It’s important to highlight the distinction between oral and written pitches; they indeed are two different beasts. The rhythm and tone differ significantly between the two, and while oral pitches allow for real-time adaptation to the audience’s reactions, written pitches lack this immediate responsiveness. Consequently, crafting a convincing written pitch demands even more practice and meticulous attention to detail.

Among all its possible shapes, there is one that is probably the most neutral and universal of them all: the pitch deck.

Pitch Deck

A pitch deck is a document typically aimed at publishers or investors, designed to persuade its audience of the game’s qualities and potential. The deck must provide all essential information for a potential publisher to quickly determine if the game is a hard pass or if it deserves further consideration. In the latter case, it signifies that the pitch deck has effectively done its job. No one will take the time to inquire further with questions if no interest has been piqued. As mentioned in the first part of this series, and akin to a verbally delivered pitch, receiving questions after a pitch deck review is usually the desired outcome.

Before embarking on crafting an impactful pitch deck, it’s crucial to understand that publishers and investors receive dozens, if not more, of them daily. To remain visible and maximize its chances to be impactful, the deck must be concise and clear.

It’s advisable not to exceed 15 pages of appealing content. While incorporating the game’s color scheme can be a good idea, the paramount rule is that it must remain readable. Some developers, in an attempt to increase their chances, may overload every page with game assets in the background, leaving little room for the text to fulfill its purpose. Consequently, readers end up spending more time deciphering information hidden in visually heavy pages than actually absorbing and understanding it.

To keep the deck relatively small, it should contain only what’s relevant to the targeted audience. Just like an elevator pitch or a pitch delivered in front of a crowd, while most of the content remains the same, certain parts must be tailored to the audience. It is imperative for the pitch deck to include at least a brief project description, a couple of visual assets and concept arts, gameplay and mechanics explanations, a concise introduction of the team, a schedule, and a budget plan. The idea behind this specific order is to address questions as they arise to the reader when going through the document. The initial contact being the description and visuals to answer “What is this game about?”, followed by explanations on mechanics and gameplay to address “How is it supported by the game’s systems?”, to finally end with team, schedule, and budget matters to answer “Who are they and what will it take them to make this game a reality?”

In consideration of brevity, here is a sample pitch deck structure aimed at delivering a concise under-15-pages presentation. This is just one example drawn from successful pitch decks; there are no strict rules regarding content or organization.

Page 1: Introduction

A visually engaging page revealing the game title, logo, and the developer’s company logo. This page serves as the audience’s first impression, aiming to arouse curiosity or interest, using the game key art here is a good idea. It is important for this page to display an email address.

Page 2: Fact sheet

This bulleted list summarizing key aspects of the game, including its genre, budget, and delivery timeline, ensures that the audience understands the potential value before investing time in a deeper review. In a world where publishers receive dozens of pitch deck every day, a simple fact sheet can make the difference.

Page 3: Narrative pitch (if applicable)

A brief description of the game’s narrative setting, mood, and key points. This section serves as a hook for the content that follows, giving a context to the game core mechanics.

Page 4-6: Mechanics

Concise explanations of the game’s core mechanics and why they are innovative or worthy of funding. It is important to avoid excessive detail; these pages should provide enough information for the audience to envision the game’s potential when combined with the narrative overview. In the mechanics segment, it is often better to use charts and graphs to share an idea instead of long lists of technical words.

Page 7-9: Concept art & Inspirations

Visual, audio, or narrative elements that help build a mental image of the game should be included here. This can include concept art, references to books or TV series, or other sources of inspiration. This section must not be underestimated as it gives the game pitch its “color”.

Page 10: Team

A brief introduction to the team, highlighting relevant experience in game development. Mentioning any previous work on similar games can reassure the audience about the team’s capability to execute the project successfully.

Page 11: Schedule

Long-term planning for the project, outlining important milestones rather than specific dates. It is recommended to use relative dates (e.g., funding + 1 month, funding + 3 months), as it avoids the need for frequent updates if funding milestones shift.

Page 12: Budget

Details on the project’s budget plan, including funds already invested and planned expenditures. This, along with the schedule, provides insight into how the team manages production. Given the mental image of the game that has been built until this point, this page will finally reveal if the whole pitch deck is coherent. It is probably the most important page of them all as it can enhance the credibility of the developer.

Page 13: Recap

A copy of the overview from page 2, ensuring the audience leaves with key information fresh in mind.

Page 14: Outro

A simple “thank you” page with contact information, including an email address for further communication.

For each point, it is essential to remember the objective: convince while being concise. Providing a complete resume of every team member is not mandatory. Mentioning the last couple of games they worked on instead, if relevant, will have a greater impact. Similarly, regarding the budget and timeline, it’s unnecessary to delve into details such as the cost plan to buy coffee for the team. Instead, it may be more efficient to explain that contingencies have been estimated and accounted for in advance. These silly examples are only a way to explain that, often, it’s better to say less if it demonstrates more about the team or project management practices.

Conclusion

This post marks the conclusion of our series on “how to pitch your game.” While we’ve journeyed from the fundamentals to creating a comprehensive guide on crafting a pitch deck, we’ve only just begun to explore the intricacies of pitching video games. There’s a wealth of knowledge to delve into, ranging from mastering physical communication and posture to the nuanced art of persuasion. It’s a dynamic and evolving field, often underrated but essential for success in the video game industry.

I hope you’ve got valuable insights from the series, and that it will help you to craft more compelling pitches in the future. Remember, the journey of refining your pitching skills is ongoing, and there’s always more to learn and improve upon.

This post was only made possible by the invaluable support of all my sponsors. If you enjoyed this post or have learned something from it, please consider supporting my work on Patreon. Patrons support helps me create more quality content like this.

A special thanks to: Freyakyle, Damien Mayance, adngdb for being a crucial part of this journey.