Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
5. Setting. Describe the game world in detail, and explain what makes it and
its occupants unique and interesting.
6. Story. If the game has a story, describe it here in greater detail than in the
pitch doc. Include the major characters, their motivations, and how they
achieve (or fail to achieve) their goals.
7. Target Audience. Explain why the game will appeal to the target demographic
you've identified.
8. Hardware Platforms. A list of devices your game can be played on. If you
plan to develop different features for the various platforms, use this section
to explain how the game will be different on each one.
9. Estimated Schedule and Budget. Break out the major phases of development,
and the level of effort associated with each, to show how you arrived at the
estimates in the pitch doc. Also include a P&L estimate if you have one.
10. Competitive Analysis. List the games you'll be competing with for sales, and
explain how your game will stack up against them.
11. Team. List the names and credentials of the design, tech, and art leads, as
well as other key team members. Also, list the games the organization has
shipped. Publishers place as much importance on the team as on the con-
cept, so make sure this section convinces them that your organization is
capable of delivering the product you're proposing.
12. Risk Analysis. Explain the risks the project faces, and how you plan to
minimize them.
13. Summary. End on a high note. Emphasize again why this will be a great
game, and why the publisher should have confidence in your team's ability
to deliver it.
This is the document that everyone involved with the game comes to for an under-
standing of the game's details.
Different parts of the document will take shape over time. You won't be ready to write
final dialogue on the first day of product development, for example, but you should
know how many characters you'll be asking the art team to create. Similarly, you won't
have a detailed level walkthrough on day one, but you should know what will happen
in each level, what equipment the player will start with, and what new toys he'll
acquire.
