Creating the Perfect Pitch Deck
Jaqueline Martin
Founder - Gentleland, We help you create awesome art for your games! Get in touch!
So, you’ve got an amazing idea for a game. You’ve poured your heart into designing levels, characters, and that incredible storyline. And now you’re ready to get it funded. You need a pitch deck that can sell not just your game but your vision. Here’s the secret: a great pitch deck is not just about fancy visuals or long text. It’s about clarity, storytelling, and trust.
Start with Why
Before even touching your slides, ask yourself:
Why are you creating this pitch deck? What’s the purpose? Is it for an in-person pitch on your phone? Is it for sending out?
And more importantly, who’s your audience?
Whether you’re pitching to a publisher, an investor, or a partner, tailor your content to their specific needs and motivations. One size doesn’t fit all in the world of pitches.
First Impressions Matter
Your first slide is everything.
Think of it as your game’s demo or tutorial. If it doesn’t get the attention of whoever you are pitching to, then they won’t stick around.
Do your research on the person or company receiving your deck. Find out what appeals to them. Then capture them with that in your first few slides. A high-quality cover image and a clear purpose statement will go a long way.
Hook Them Immediately
Remember when you started playing that one game, and within the first few minutes, you were hooked? Your pitch deck needs to do the same. Lead with a unique hook.
That hook can be different for everyone. This is why it's so important to know exactly who you are pitching to.
You need to grab their attention and then keep it. Start by clearly defining the problem or frustration your game solves. Whether it’s a gameplay innovation or a narrative experience that fills a gap in the market and then explain why your game is that solution.
You need to be very clear about why your game is going to be an interesting opportunity without adding any fluff or marketing-speak.
Your pitch deck is as much an exercise in clarity, as it is meant to create a golden thread of sales arguments stacked upon each other.
Feature Your Vision
You can present the core features of your game. But here’s the trick: Keep it concise.
One powerful sentence, followed by visuals, is all you need to communicate your game’s essence. People don’t want to read walls of text. And you do not want to waste anyone's time. They want to see your vision come to life, quickly play your prototype or see a demo.
Show Them You've Got a Plan
Investors want to know two things:
Be transparent about your development status and provide a clear budget breakdown.
They need to trust that you’ve thought about the numbers, and they’ll appreciate seeing exactly how their investment will bring returns.
As a rule of thumb: for publishers, you’ll want to show a minimum return of three times your asking budget. For venture capitalists (VCs), they’ll expect a 10x return on their investment. If you don’t have a plan to achieve this, your pitch will struggle to gain interest.
Having a solid plan in place isn’t optional.
It’s essential. Hope is not a strategy.
The clearer and more realistic your path to profitability, the more trust you will build with potential investors.
Introduce the Dream Team
Lastly, don’t forget to introduce your team.
Show why you’re the best to bring this game to life.
Highlight your accomplishments and expertise to build trust. Maybe you already secured some previous funding, a grant or won an award. People invest in teams as much as they invest in ideas.
Creating a pitch deck is about so much more than ticking off slides. It’s about communicating a dream. Keep your deck tight, clear, and tailored, and you’ll have a much better chance of bringing that dream to reality. And if you want help with that, please feel free to reach out to me and my team. You can apply to our premium program over here, where we help game devs to get funding for their dream projects:
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