If you are a game developer or part of an indie game studio and are looking for investment in your video game, it can often be tricky to know where to start. Knowing how to impress a game investor and therefore how to gain crucial funding and support for your game can be a challenge which is why, in this article we explore what it takes to get this right. Here are some tips from Bertrand Vernizeau, CEO of Game Seer at game-seer.com
1. Target the right partner
First of all, you must ensure you know who you will pitch your company or game to. Be it a publisher or a traditional equity investor, ensure you check which projects they have backed already and/or which companies they have invested in so far. Your pitch will get instantly rejected by investors who solely do equity funding if you come seeking project financing and vice versa.
2. Inform yourself about us
Browse carefully our websites, read our opinions in the press, at conferences, as some investors shun certain domains: for instance, we only invest in PC and console games with productions up to 5 million EUR. Some investors like our friends over at level-up.com only invest in mobile. Some only invest in tech, in AR, in VR etc. If you know what an investor seeks beforehand and it is aligned with what you propose, you are much more likely to be a match.
3. Choose the right timing
Now that you are sure that the investor you want to pitch to is actually looking for what you have to offer, you must still verify that the timing is right. At what point should you pitch your project? Again, targeting the right entity matters all while making sure your company is ripe for investment. Some incubators like Y combinator will invest at paper pitch level, this is also mostly true for traditional equity venture capitalists whose upside is based on securing the highest amount of shares at the very early stages of a game’s development, with the lowest investment possible.
4. Make an impression, at first glance
Game seer as well as publishers on their end will most of the time require a playable demo, a vertical slice or a prototype. Visual materials help a lot as they help showcase your skills and most importantly allow the investor to picture in their mind what you have in yours. If you come and pitch us compelling visuals and a playable demo, you ensure that we will thoroughly review what you have provided. If you ask us for money and have already made something decent enough to trigger our preliminary interest, then you most certainly will get all our attention at this stage to make sure we understand entirely what you are trying to achieve. That’s a great place to start.
5. Maximizing your chances
While great games are made by exceptional people, they do not always have the ability to properly showcase what they are capable of. Some people are simply better at making than showing. Investors are aware of this and have adapted their business acumen over time to see through this. While you may not be a great presenter, marketer nor an excel spreadsheet champion, this pretty simple set of documents will drastically increase your chances of getting an investment:
- Detailed production pipeline
- Budget breakdown with everyone in your team who is Employed Full Time (external and internal)
- Standard product information: Recommended Sale Price, Platforms, expected rating etc.
- Elevator pitch with as many visuals and as little text as possible, team experience, general vision and unique selling proposition of the title.
- Decisive bonus: prototype, demo or vertical slice
About this blog
This blog is brought to you by Ninichi, a video game music composer who works with indie game developers and indie filmmakers to bring their soundtracks to life. This article, like many others on my blog, offers tips and advice from the games industry to support the development of new games.
For more information on Ninichi explore her game music, royalty free music and/or contact her to discuss your project and music needs.
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