Choosing a Publisher

Once all of the key components of your pitch are in place, the next step is getting publishers interested. It is a dramatically different story approaching a publisher with a new product as an established developer compared with, say, an untried startup team. However, most publishers will be happy to explore every product they are offered lest they overlook the next Tetris or Tomb Raider.

Once you get this opportunity, it is up to you to grab their attention and hammer out a deal.

Publisher Pitch Expectations

Although different publishers will place emphasis on different features, the main requirements are universal:

• A marketable concept with even a hint of originality, preferably with at least rudimentary multiplayer elements.

• A solvent, trading company, preferably with a relevant track record.

• Design documentation.

• A team, or at least key team members.

• Playable demo.

• Schedule and budget estimates.

Publishers are becoming increasingly adverse to risk, so your pitch has to convince them that your product merits the time and financial investment that you are seeking as well as allay any fears that the game might not be completed successfully within the specified timescale and budget. You might have the best new game idea on the planet, but if you only have half a team and a wildly ambitious schedule you cannot hope to find a deal.

Choosing Publishers

Pitching new products can be a long and arduous process, and you can often spend a number of months in negotiations with a publisher only to fall at the final hurdle and find yourself back at square one. As such, it is important to pitch to more than one publisher simultaneously. Of course, the extreme example of this is pitching to every publisher at once. However, this too can be fraught with problems—not to mention incredibly time-consuming, tiring, and confusing!

Many developers will already have relationships with one or more publishers, either from current or previous products, and some might even have "first refusal" clauses on new products in their active contracts. However, this is by no means a guarantee of interest, so you should continue to court other publishers as well, providing you are not bound by a non-disclosure agreement (NDA).

The best path when pitching a new product is to put your ear to the ground and find out which publishers are currently on the hunt for new products, and (obviously) who has money to spend. It is also worthwhile to compile a list of publishers who tend to favor your game genre when deciding whom to approach.

Making Contact

Once you have decided which publishers to target, the next step is making contact. Contacts are an invaluable part of game development, and you should seek to build them as quickly as possible. Make a point of visiting industry trade shows and parties, exchange as many business cards as possible, and spend time cataloguing the names and addresses of publishers throughout the territories to save time. This information can often be found in trade magazines such as Develop and Game Developer, and where there are blanks, feel free to call the publisher directly and establish who their contact is for new product.

Cross-Territory Pitching

When dealing with publishers whose primary operations take place on another continent, you will need to consider whether to pitch in your territory or directly to the heart of the company.

Again, there are no hard-and-fast rules to this—some publishers will specify that you contact their representative in your territory, whereas others will happily work with you directly.

While the obvious downsides are different timelines and the logistics of setting up meetings, the ultimate decision on new products often comes from the publisher's global headquarters. Therefore, by taking the direct approach in many cases you can effectively cut out the "middleman," saving yourself yet more time, effort, and money.

Once you are ready to make contact, open with a polite telephone call to introduce you, your company, and your product, and ascertain whether they are interested in opening dialogue. If the results are positive, you should then arrange delivery of your presentation to allow evaluation by the publisher, and a suitably timed follow-up meeting. If you do not already have them at this stage, try to get hold of all relevant contact details, including e-mail, direct line and mobile phone numbers. You will see why this is particularly useful later.

Follow each telephone call immediately with an e-mail thanking them for their time and confirming any arrangements discussed. If you have arranged a meeting, make an effort to offer information such as studio location rather than waiting to be asked for the directions, and never double-book appointments. Different publishers will want to spend varying amounts of time with you when visiting your studio, so wherever possible, set aside at least half a day per meeting.