It’s all about investors, investing, and investments this week folks. Monochrome RPG is getting closer and closer to completion, which means that the next step is financing the rest of the project to success! I have little experience with addressing investors or financing a large-scale project such as this, so my week involved lots of open discussions and research about how to pitch a game to investors. It sounds dry, but is important when making a juicy game!
Thinkin’ Like An Investor
How do you successfully sell something without giving the buyer the product? Essentially, this is how I had to address the investor pitch deck for Monochrome RPG. Investors aren’t necessarily trying to buy a copy of the game. Rather, they want a return on the money they put into the development and the company. Approaching this was less about why Monochrome RPG is a great game and more about how it will generate revenue over time. As inspiration, I referenced the article, “What Do Investors Really Want?” which discussed some of the important points to drive home in an investment pitch. Some of these key points include a strong financial plan and the traction of the project. Traction simply describes how successful a project has been without investment, which shows the growing potential a project can have with larger financial backing.
Lets Get Pitchin’
From my investment one-page document and my new research, I concocted a new pitch deck for the RPG. When I first started it, I struggled with balancing the strengths of the visual style of the RPG to the financial progress and plan. It began to read more like a game design document rather than an investment pitch. I’ve found that it’s really easy to fall into why a project is cool and how to market it to would-be players when you’re excited about it, and it can be easy to neglect the logistical, business-y side to things. I ended up having to go through a few iterations just to ensure that I was focused on marketing the finances to investors rather than the art. After finishing it, I felt as though the best way to approach a pitch deck for a project like this is to bleed the theme throughout with visual keys, while prioritizing the writing so that the presentation feels just as whimsical as the game.
I’m the Business Woman Now
It was a really great experience creating an investment pitch deck because they’re essential to every business and project! Games, movies, products, and more can’t be created without some form of financing, and I feel as though I’m better equipped to pitch my own projects going forward. When I’m not working at DVNC Tech, I’m working with a company my friends and I founded, called Tired Turtle Games. We’ve only just published a basic demo, but our first game, Digital Janitors, will soon require a pitch deck for publishers and game conventions. By working on the RPG presentation, I’m much more confident in creating one of my own games!