The Art of Game Pitching: One Sheet to Deal

Transforming brilliant game ideas into pitches that secure deals requires mastering a specific art form. For developers navigating the business side of game production, creating compelling pitch materials isn't just helpful—it's essential for survival.

This episode unveils a practical roadmap that takes you from the foundation of your pitch ecosystem—the one-sheet—to comprehensive materials that align teams and convince stakeholders. Your one-sheet serves as more than a summary; it's a distillation of your vision so clear that anyone can grasp your game's essence in 30 seconds. We break down the five critical elements every one-sheet needs: a memorable title, a hook-filled elevator pitch, a vivid overview paragraph, bullet-pointed selling features, and supporting visuals that make your concept stick.

The journey continues as we explore how to expand this foundation into a full pitch deck, mapping each element to dedicated slides that tell your game's story. Learn how these materials evolve into your game design document—transforming your vision into an actionable blueprint. We examine what publishers, investors, and collaborators really look for when evaluating pitches, helping you tailor your approach to different stakeholders.

Whether you're drafting your first pitch or refining your fifth, these principles will elevate your materials from good to unforgettable. Avoid common pitfalls like over-promising on scope or lacking visual support, and understand why treating your pitch as a living tool rather than a hurdle brings unexpected clarity to your game's identity and purpose. Ready to transform your game pitch into your most powerful asset? Let's press start on creating materials that don't just communicate your vision—they sell it.

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction to Game Pitching
• 2:30 Crafting an Effective One-Sheet
• 7:01 Building a Comprehensive Pitch Deck
• 8:50 From Pitch Deck to GDD
• 11:14 Step-by-Step Pitch Material Creation
• 12:58 What Stakeholders Look For
• 13:55 Common Pitfalls and Final Thoughts

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:18

Press Start Leadership. Hey there, press Starters and welcome to the Press Start Leadership Podcast, the podcast about game-changing leadership, teaching you how to get the most out of your product and development team and become the leader you were meant to be Leadership coaching and training for the international game industry professional. Now let me introduce you to your host, the man, the myth, the legend, christopher Mifsud.

Speaker 2: 1:07

Hey there, press Starters and welcome back to another awesome edition of the Press Start Leadership Podcast. On this week's episode, we'll be discussing, from one sheet to pitch deck and beyond, building game pitches, that land deals. A practical guide for game developers to create effective pitch materials, align teams and secure publisher or investor support. Game development is hard enough, but turning a brilliant idea into a viable pitch that excites publishers, investors and collaborators, that's an entirely different beast. For indie game developers and studio heads, navigating the business side of game production, creating compelling pitch materials is not just a nicety, it's survival. And it all starts with a single page. This podcast explores how to move from a concise one sheet to a comprehensive pitch deck and how that journey sets the foundation for your game design document, production schedule and, ultimately, your success. Whether you're building your first pitch or refining your fifth, these principles and steps will help you level up your pitching process.

Speaker 2: 2:12

Why every game pitch starts with a one-sheet. A one-sheet, also called a one-pager, is the foundation of your pitch ecosystem. It's not just a summary. It's a distillation of your vision into something so tight and so clear that anyone can grasp the essence of your game in 30 seconds or less. That clarity isn't just helpful for external communication. It becomes the North Star for internal decision making, team alignment and scope control. A strong one sheet helps you clarify your vision, align your team, capture attention from investors or publishers, build confidence in your project's direction. What goes into a great one sheet? At its core, a one sheet includes five essential ingredients the game title obvious but essential. This is your brand name. Make it memorable.

Speaker 2: 3:03

The elevator pitch. A quick, vivid, one-to-two-sentence hook Overview. A more detailed paragraph explaining the premise, tone, gameplay and core narrative. Key features or selling points. Bullet-pointed highlights of your game's innovations or most appealing elements. And five is optional visuals Concept art, a logo or in-game shots, if you have them. These help the pitch stick in people's minds. Let's unpack each of these and build up your materials from there.

Speaker 2: 3:33

Crafting the elevator pitch. Clarity meets creativity. Your elevator pitch is the nucleus of every other pitch element. It's the single most important line you'll write, because it's the one people are most likely to repeat. Think of it like this Someone meets you at GDC or Gamescom and asks what's your game about? This is your answer A template that works. A reliable formula looks something like game name is a genre that combines popular title a and popular title b, with a unique twist of insert twist here in a disinterruptive setting. This gives your audience immediate familiarity while pointing to what makes your project distinct. For example, shadow city mysteries is a clockwork noir narrative adventure game that is blade runner by way of lovecraft country, set in Frank Miller's Sin City with a new game plus twist. When done well, an elevator pitch ignites curiosity. It creates context and gives people a compelling reason to ask tell me more.

Speaker 2: 4:35

Defining features and selling points, your game's value proposition. Once you've hooked your audience, they'll want to know what makes your game worth investing in time, money or both. Use bullet points to showcase unique gameplay mechanics. Player experience highlights narrative or visual style, expandability or transmedia potential anything that makes your game stand out. Example Shadow City Mysteries. Narrative adventure game with investigative gameplay. Explore the mystery as a detective, interrogating suspects, scanning crime scenes and uncovering hidden connections. Six unique origins Choose from high society, underworld, union worker, entertainer, church or cult backgrounds, each shaping your investigation style. New Story Plus with a twist. Each replay reveals new layers of the story, culminating in a conspiracy and supernatural thriller arc. A new IP with expansion potential. Build a franchise from the ground up with cross-platform storytelling potential in TTRPGs, comics and games.

Speaker 2: 5:40

Bullet points should be succinct and readable at a glance If you're using a deck or document. Avoid walls of text. Visual separation matters. The overview context, genre and emotional hook. Your overview is a short paragraph that expands on your pitch. Think of it like the blurb on the back of a novel. It should answer three things what is the story or core experience? What is the gameplay loop? Why will players care? Example overview Shadow City Mysteries is a narrative adventure where players take on the role of a washed-up detective in a city riddled with secrets as they investigate crimes, unravel conspiracies and uncover supernatural forces. Each playthrough deepens the mystery and uncover supernatural forces. Each playthrough deepens the mystery With a branching structure, dynamic skill systems and a stylized noir aesthetic. Shadow City Mysteries offers a replayable, emotionally driven experience unlike anything else on the market. Be vivid. Appeal to emotions. Show what players will feel, not just what they will do.

Speaker 2: 6:43

Putting it all together the one one sheet blueprint. Now that we've broken down the parts, here's a checklist to build your one sheet Logo and game title elevator pitch, short game overview. Three to six bullet point features. Optional visuals or screenshots, contact info or studio branding in the footer. Export your one sheet as a PDF or image. Keep it short, one page, but make every word count.

Speaker 2: 7:09

Evolving your one sheet into a pitch deck Once your one pager is polished and ready, you can expand it into a full pitch deck. Many components will stay the same, but now you have the space to elaborate. Here's how your one sheet components map to a longer deck. One sheet element corresponding deck slides the game title. The title slide, the elevator pitch, the intro or vision slide, your overview Narrative slide, gameplay loop slide, bullet point features.

Speaker 2: 7:37

Multiple slides. Each key feature gets its own Optional visuals Art style slide, mood board or screenshots. Building the deck slide by slide. Title slide, game name, studio name, logo and tagline. Vision slide, elevator pitch and high level vision Overview slide. A short version of the game overview, gameplay slides, core mechanics, gameplay loop and progression systems. Feature slides one slide per major feature or mechanic with visuals and talking points. Visual style slide, a mood board, key art sample. Ui Team slide, brief bios and credits of core team members. Business slide, if needed, monetization, marketing or platform plans. Each slide should tell a story, progressively leading your viewer from interesting to.

Speaker 2: 8:27

I want in Turning a pitch deck into a game design document, also known as a GDD. Once you've secured interest or funding, or even before, you'll need to flesh out your concept into a full game design document. This is where you translate vision into implementation. A pitch deck is a storytelling tool. A GDD is a blueprint for building. But the good news is, your pitch deck already contains much of what you'll need. So here's how the pitch deck maps into the structure of a full GDD the pitch deck slide Overview, elevator pitch. In your GDD section. It's the introduction and project summary.

Speaker 2: 9:02

Gameplay loop, game systems and core mechanics. Key features Fe the introduction and project summary. Gameplay loop, game systems and core mechanics. Key features. Feature breakdown and gameplay modules. Art style slash, mood board, visual direction and asset guidelines. Narrative slide, story, characters and world building. Team slide, team composition and roles, timeline and production plan, milestones, tasks and budgeting Key elements of a game design document.

Speaker 2: 9:26

A solid GDD should include a high-level overview. What kind of game are you making? Who is it for? Core gameplay loop. What do players do repeatedly and why? Progression systems how does the game grow in complexity? Ui and UX guidelines what does the player see and how do they interact with the world? Story and setting? What is the narrative arc? Who are the characters, levels and content structure. How are levels or missions laid out? Art and audio guidelines. What are your stylistic anchors? Technical requirements, engine platforms, tools, integrations, production plan, timeline, budget, hiring needs, outsourcing requirements.

Speaker 2: 10:05

The GDD is a living document. It will evolve with your project, but starting it early keeps your team aligned and your scope realistic. Your roadmap forward from idea to execution here's a simplified flow from concept to execution. One sheet summarizes your vision. Pitch deck expands your vision into an engaging story for stakeholders. Game design document details how the vision will be executed. Production plan defines timelines, resources, team and budget. Vertical slicer prototype proves the concept through actual gameplay.

Speaker 2: 10:38

Milestone builds Iteratively develop and refine your product. Launch and post-mortem Ship your game. Then reflect, learn and repeat. Each step builds upon the last. Each step provides more depth, clarity and alignment for your team and partners. Actual steps to build strong pitch materials. Let's break this down into clear, repeatable actions. Step one build your one sheet. Start with a Google Doc or PDF. Write your game's title and 1-2 sentence pitch. Add a short overview paragraph. Bullet out your 3-6 key features. If available, add one visual concept, art screenshot or logo. Save it as a PDF with your game's name clearly in the file name.

Speaker 2: 11:20

Step 2. Draft your pitch deck. Create a 10- 15 slide presentation. Map each element of your one sheet into a slide format. Add art direction and visual examples to support your storytelling. Include a slide introducing your team or your background in Solo Practice, presenting it out loud in under 10 minutes. Step three build a living GDD. Use Notion Google Docs or a tool like Hack Plan or Craft Docs. Turn every feature into a breakdown how it works, why it matters. Document your core loop and progression systems in clear language. Add placeholders for levels, ui, story arcs and technical decisions.

Speaker 2: 11:59

Step 4. Start a basic production plan. Use a spreadsheet or a tool like Trello, clickup or Airtable. Map the next three to six months by high-level tasks, prototyping, concept art, narrative, beats, etc. Identify bottlenecks early. If you need collaborators or funding, highlight those dependencies. Step five build and test a vertical slice. Pick one core feature and one area of your game to implement. Keep the scope tight. This is proof of concept, not a full level. Use a vertical slice to test mechanics, mood, ui and pipelines. Gather feedback then iterate. Each of these steps helps reduce ambiguity and make your game aligns collaborators and demonstrates value to potential partners or funders.

Speaker 2: 12:40

How publishers, investors and collaborators evaluate pitches. Understanding what your audience is looking for can improve your pitch materials dramatically. Here's what different stakeholders typically want to see Publishers Compelling hook and genre fit, market potential and target audience. Proof that the game is fun through prototype or vertical slice. Timeline and production reality. Team reliability, investors, clear vision and differentiation. Business model Premium, free-to-play hybrid Studio experience and execution history, risk mitigation, backup plans, production buffers, collaborators, clarity of the project direction, documentation and expectations, communication tools and project management structure, projected timeline and scope.

Speaker 2: 13:26

Tailoring your pitch slightly for different audiences shows awareness and respect. It also increases your chance of building trust and getting the. Yes, you need Common mistakes to avoiding game pitches. Too much detail, too soon. Save the minutia for the GDD. Your deck should sell the fantasy and feasibility. No clear hook. If you can't explain what makes your game unique in one sentence, refine it until you can.

Speaker 2: 13:50

Over-promising Scope is the graveyard of great games. Be honest about your timeline and budget. Lack of art or visuals? Even simple concept art helps. Don't pitch a game without a mood board or a key image, ignoring your audience. Customize your materials for who's reading them.

Speaker 2: 14:06

Investors want ROI. Publishers want genre, fit and deliverability. Peers want clarity. Keep going. Iteration and feedback loops.

Speaker 2: 14:15

Your one sheet and pitch deck are not static. They should evolve as your project does. After every pitch, revisit your deck and refine it based on feedback. Keep a folder of alternate slides and visuals so you can tailor decks to specific meetings. Document pitch feedback and questions. They show where you're unclear or over explaining Final thoughts. Make the pitch part of the process. Pitching isn't a one-off activity. It's part of the creative lifestyle. It helps you refine your ideas, align your team and secure the support you need to bring your game to life. If you treat your pitch as a living tool, not a hurdle, you'll find it brings unexpected clarity to your game's identity, timeline and purpose. Whether you're sending a one-sheet call to a publisher, walking into a VC meeting with a polished deck or kicking off your first internal meeting, great pitch materials are your leverage, your confidence and your compass. All right, and that's this week's episode of the Press Start Leadership Podcast. Thanks for listening and, as always, thanks for being awesome. Bye.