Have you ever wanted to pitch a game design to a publisher, but you weren’t quite sure how to go about that process? Or maybe you’ve pitched games to publishers without any positive results?
Yesterday I posted a video on YouTube detailing 4 steps that I hope will be helpful for designers who just want to be designers (opposed to designers who want to run a business, often by launching a crowdfunding campaign). I thought this video–and the resulting tips–might be helpful for readers of this blog too, so I’ve posted the text and the video below.
Preparation
- Know the market (watch an abundance of reviews, research on BoardGameGeek, play a lot of games)
- Fully design a unique game (see video about game design, create something that doesn’t already exist)
- Make yourself and the game known online and at events (visibility in the community is helpful but not required)
- Playtest and write/test a great rulebook (read these articles)
- Make an attractive, thematic final prototype (make a good first impression without commissioning art)
Selection
- Select 10 publishers you love (look at your shelf for guidance)
- Research their submission guidelines (ask questions publicly)
- Make a strategically good first impression
- Pick ONE game to submit (show the publisher that you have one specific game you really love that you think is a great fit for them–it is not an asset to have a publisher pick from your bag ‘o games)
Submission
- Follow the publisher’s submission guidelines (and notify your contact if you have an existing relationship)
- Compare the game to a few other games with a twist (e.g., Ark Nova meet The Crew…with time travel!)
- Highlight the hooks (see article on hooks, consider the potential budget, a sell sheet is fine but not necessary)
- Sell yourself (design experience, your uniqueness, commitment to playtesting)
Conclusion
- Wait patiently but with respect to yourself (you can submit your game to others too)
- Prepare for the next steps (video overview, constructive criticism, send prototype or Tabletopia)
- Accept rejection with grace (if/how to ask for feedback, please do not ask publisher to do your work)
- Game designer contracts (see here)
***
Also read:
- How to Pitch (and Not Pitch) Your Game to Stonemaier Games
- Our Submission Guidelines
- Self Publishing vs Working with a Publisher
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29 Comments on “4 Steps to Pitch Your Game to a Tabletop Publisher”
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Thank you very much for your insightful video!
I’m wondering if how many publishers are there, which are large enough to invest in multiple titles at the same time. Additionally, BGG is the only source to find the list of publishers?
Thanks! I think most publishers are very small in terms of people and resources, but it’s common for a publisher to be working on multiple games anyway. BGG is a good place to find publishers, as is looking at games on your shelf and your local game cafe/store (I wouldn’t approach this as “let me find all publishers”; rather, look for games that remind you of the game you’re making and pursue the specific publishers who make those games).
One of the best 35 minutes that I have ever spent. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and expertise.
Thanks, Stephanie!
[…] a publisher for your game, you need to research publishers and their unique submission processes, hone and execute your pitch, communicate back and forth with interested parties, and (if you get an offer) negotiate the […]
[…] Designers kinda need to go to cons to meet and build relationships with publishers. I agree that there is value in attending conventions to connect face-to-face with publishers. We signed Between Two Cities, Wingspan, Pendulum, and Apiary as the result of meeting the designers at conventions (including our own Design Day). Who you are as a person is almost just as important as the game you’ve created–as a publisher, I want to know how you communicate and how well you respond to constructive criticism. However, I also think there are benefits from the publishing side of separating your first impression of a game from the designer. This method can decrease subconscious biases and level the playing field. For me, most of my communication with designers is over email, so that’s where I need to see how they communicate, not verbally in person. Also, having the designer show you their game is an experience that–while awesome–is something that 0.0001% of the people who ever play that game will have (if it’s published)–you’ll get a more accurate impression of the game playing it without the designer present. So while I completely agree that proactively forging relationships is great for designers (whether it’s at conventions, on social media, comments on websites, etc), as a publisher I’ve found it helpful for my first impression of a game to be on our submission form. […]
Thanks for posting so much useful and though provoking info. This blog is a goldmine.
If I could just ask, would making a game available as a free print and play hurt its chances of later being picked up by a publisher?
I’m wondering if Little Scythe was an exception.
Thanks again!
Thanks Devin! I think it depends on the game. If it’s a card-only game with only a few cards or sheets, a publisher might wonder what more they can add to the value proposition. If it’s a game like My Little Scythe with miniatures, tokens, a game board, player mats–particularly one that is completely different in terms of visual design than the initial PnP–I think you’re fine putting a PnP out there to see if it garners buzz and attention.
Thanks for the detailed reply. I’ve always admired your (and Stonemaier’s) spirit of generosity. It really is wonderful. My thinking is that print and play might also be a good way to get some extra testing and feedback. Oh, and sorry for dropping the My from My Little Scythe. I shorten everything. It’s a habit. :)
All the best.
As a first time game designer, I’ve got a pretty complete game and have been intending to go the crowdfunding route. I’ve started promoting it, but it just doesn’t have enough of a following yet. So now I’m beginning to look seriously at submitting it to publishers and this info was very helpful. Thanks Jamey!
When you are pitching a game to a publisher, should you get a patent on it first?
No.
For the past 2 months, I have been a quiet but dedicated student of your lessons! The fact that I got to this page, is a testament of the awesomeness that is this website, and in extension yours aswell Jamie! As I write these words, my prototype’s first blind test is already arranged and I am waiting with intense excitement!
Thank you for all this free information! …and beware! I will soon submit the survey to somewhere special! ;)
Thanks for your note! I hope the playtest goes well. :)
Thanks Jamey, your 12 tenants are very interesting, and of course reflect your values. The game I designed aligns closely with 11 of them but I was interested in this one:
Interesting choices are better than luck. If there are elements of randomness, players should be able to make decisions based on random input (instead of, say, rolling dice to determine the outcome). Agency is very important; it means that players have control over their fate.
My game although has many strategic decisions you can make is ultimately driven by the luck of the cards you pick up as you play the game. I think maybe your company likes games of strategy and I hope there is also a market out there for games which are less dependant on more complex strategic thinking. I think maybe my game will be liked by a younger audience, ~ 10-12 year olds, whilst you are targeting an older audience, is that true? Take a game like Risk, hugely popular amoungst kids, relies largely on luck of a dice throw. Anyway very interested to know your thoughts!
Tim: I think it depends on how you’re using luck of the draw. For example, if I’m about to take a really important action, and the success of that action is entirely dependent on a card I’m drawing as I’m taking the action and I have no control over the result, that’s not the kind of luck we’re looking for. However, if cards vary in power levels (hence luck of the draw) and I’m drawing them throughout the game and choosing when to play them to determine the outcome of certain outcomes, that’s the type of luck that works for us. Which Stonemaier games have you played? Several of our games use the type of luck I describe there.
Thanks Jamey, ordered Scythe yesterday, arrives later today!
Thanks Jamey, really useful article. I’m at the stage where I only have a home made prototype, so you are advising that I need to be much further down the road with a proper prototype made before engaging with publishers. The difficulty is that to get the prototype made is very expensive (at least for my game, many pieces to it), so seems there isn’t a path to take for game designers unless prepared to put in a lot of money up front.
Tim: A prototype doesn’t need to be fancy to be playable–all of my prototypes are those that I print, cut, and assemble by hand (the only cost is paper, plus a little bit of printer ink). Though it helps that I have lots of little bits and pieces from games I no longer play.
Question about pitching a designed games.
What’s your point of view about a game already designed? As in: visuals done, theme, etc.
Are games like these usually pitched to Stonemaier?
We’re definitely only looking for games that are already designed. As for games that are fully *produced* (art, graphic design, etc), those games are rarely pitched to us (and when they are, it’s somewhat unfortunate, as there’s a very good chance we’ll need to completely redo the art).
Many thanks for the prompt reply!
I’ll focus more on playtesting then
So great to get so many helpful thoughts! Also great to have this all in both video and blog form.
Here’s a question: When making “an attractive, thematic final prototype”, would it be problematic to use some of the art or graphic design from existing games? Specifically, if I were planning on pitching a game to publisher X, would it be a bad idea to make use of art or designs from one of the games from publisher X?
Or to put it in more concrete terms: let’s say ;-) ;-) I was working on a game set in the 1920+ world of Scythe, and I pitched this game to Stonemaier. I expect it would make sense to use some of the art or graphic design from Scythe (granting that the game design itself is sufficiently distinct from that of Scythe). What would you say?
What if instead someone was designing a brand new idea? Would it be problematic to pitch a game to Stonemaier with a prototype that made use of, say, the artifact cards from Euphoria? Would other publishers give different answers to this question?
Thanks Alex! While we’re not looking for outside designs for games in the Scythe world, for the purposes of prototyping, if you were working on a game with a similar theme, you could include a few sample images from a game like Scythe to set the tone. The key for a nice-looking prototype is really in the layout, user interface, and usability–the thematic portion is just a few sample illustrations.
Hi Jamie
I like that you are taking your time to share all this information with (especially) new designers. However – and this is completely understandable – I think you are giving this advice as a publisher looking for how you want to see these things, and not necessarily how other publishers want to see them :)
Your point “Preparation -> Know the market” is excellent advice. But your point in “Selection -> Select 10 publishers you love” contradicts it somewhat. I understand that if you love certain games, and you want to start designing games, and you want to design the same type of games that you love, then this makes perfect sense. This is how you personally do it as both designer and publisher. It’s your personal experience, and that makes sense to pass along.
But the contradiction becomes clear for designers who love game type A, but does not have the skill to design those games, so they design game type B. Now, looking at the shelf of that designer, they might not pick any games/publishers of type B going by your advice, and thus they will do something worse than showing up with a portfolio (which I also don’t think is bad in and of itself*), they will show up with one game that they think might fit the publisher, which in turn will result in the “strategically bad first impression”, as the publisher maybe don’t want to look at any game of type B at all.
I’m saying this because knowing a publishers lineup as marketable games is insight most (inexperienced) designers don’t not have, and won’t get from looking at the publishers website. It might be “oh, you make pirate games – I have a game about pirates”, or “I see you publish family games – I have one of those”. That’s still a miracle if the game fits the publisher going by just this.
So, not only are you “one shooting”, you are probably completely off target.
*In such case, I would fit better to at least have a couple of different games/sell sheets to initiate a meeting, getting a better sense of what the publisher is currently looking for. And I say this with respect for you and Stonemaier Games, but not all publishers keep a straight track of the types of games they publish, and not all publishers actually know what they are looking for when taking pitches (ie. it’s impossible to know from their current lineup that they want to publish in the future).
I’ve sat in meetings with publishers of very heavy games that were delighted to look at my portpolio of sell sheets to find several family style games they wanted to look at, as they were starding a new brands to release such games under, with their current lineup for the heavier games all filled up for years into the future. And I’ve experienced to complete opposite too.
I’ve also sat in a meeting getting pitched to by the publisher, who wanted to see a very, very specific type of game – so specific, it was them pitching their idea to me, hoping I would go home and make that game and come back to pitch it.
I know, this is just as anecdotal, but it’s just to say that the advice you give is most relevant for designers looking to pitch to you/Stonemaier Games, and not necessarily advice that fits all publishers and situations :)
Thank you for sharing! – all the rest I think is advice that fits most situations in a broad manner :)
Mads: I agree that there are exceptions. But I still think it’s good for a designer to know the market and know a publisher’s lineup of games as well as they can, and read over a publisher’s guidelines in detail (if they’re posted somewhere).
I agree :)
Hi Jamey,
First of all, thank you for sharing with the community.
The information you share is very useful indeed!
I totally get where you are coming from when you mention submission guidelines being there for a reason and I agree.
My only constructive criticism (uncalled for, I know) about the video is that game developers may not necessarily think that either they or their game are special and therefore rules not apply to them.
Sometimes you can be passionate about what you’ve created and feel, perhaps wrongly, that there is so much to the game that is worth giving it a shot anyway.
Worst case scenario, both you and the publisher lose 10 minutes.
Best case one, you might strike a good deal for both parties.
Someone could also argue that is not 10 minutes, but 10 minutes times a million designers trying to pitch. That I can suspect :)
Resilience is also key to an endeavour such as game design, due to the many many things you are bound to try that won’t work. Sometimes this mindset can make you say or do things that might come across the wrong way.
I can be wrong, but trying to pitch a game a bit outside the given guidelines, within reason, does not necessarily equate to arrogance or disregard for the publisher’s time.
Thanks for sharing! I see what you’re saying about what might be going on in the mind of a designer who eagerly shares their game with a publisher in a way that is different than what the publisher has asked for. I agree that it isn’t a matter of arrogance or disrespect.
I’m just saying that if the designer has that level of passion for their project–and I hope they do–that they channel that passion into best possible chance that a publisher will consider it, which is to follow that publisher’s guidelines, not circumvent them.