If you pitched me “Words with Friends meets Scrabble” I’m going to have a very strong idea of what you’re pitching, but zero idea of marketability. Part of your goal is to capture market positioning. “Minecraft meets Destiny” is not going to impress anyone unless it’s actually that game (that sounds fun!).
We’ve had a large share of games try to leverage incredibly popular genres or titles just because they were popular or financially successful. Make sure the x-statement describes the actual game and marketing positioning. Here are a few things to consider when crafting your x-statements: GREAT! “Hunger Games meets modern military shooter” I just possibly described PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS, but you get the picture. Hunger Games is already multiplayer in-nature, and this just reads as raw Hunger Games. OK: “Hunger Games meets online multiplayer” Sometimes imagery is too weak and doesn’t differentiate from the core subject. While RPG Loot Grind doesn’t give a strong marketing position, it gets us much closer. GREAT! “Cuphead meets Diablo Loot Grind” Defining your subjects a bit more can really help hone in on the imagery. “Cuphead and Diablo” is invoking a heavy mix of different genres and art styles. OK: “Cuphead meets Diablo” Sometimes imagery is a little too broad.
GREAT! “Crazy Taxi meets Alice in Wonderland” OK, now I know exactly what kind of fantasy we’re talking about and what sort of experience this could be. Fantasy isn’t invoking any particular imagery because so many attributes define this genre, but it gets me close. OK: “Crazy Taxi meets Fantasy” This is just OK. You want your game to be different enough, but explainable to your audience. Treat it as a modifier to not just the element but to any preconceived assumptions of genre, game styles, and tropes. With a strong first element, the second element is going to attempt to explain how your game is truly different and can stand out in the marketplace. Anchor your second element in market differentiation There’s a very strong difference between “Chess meets…” and “Prey meets…” so compare accordingly. In the end this is a pitch attempting to drive excitement toward your game.
It’s also important to invoke the right energy. “Hunger Games meets _” This is going to be a last-man-standing dog-eat-dog video game, probably barbaric. “Cuphead meets _” I’m thinking a tough-as-nails 2D boss-rush game, probably several bosses all with unique styles. “Crazy Taxi meets _” Okay, I know this game is attempting to be a delivery/courier arcade-style title. Good first elements (with my immediate reactions) could be: Try to be as explicit as possible, finding the reference that sets the right tone and correlation to your actual game. The first element in your x-statement should tell the reader what thing your game is most similar to.
And as a publisher and platform, we want to be sold on the product as much as the consumer will be.īecause we’ve seen so many x-statements, we wanted to share some thoughts on how to best craft a great x-statement. It shows succinct critical thinking in the positioning of their product. An x-statement says a lot about how game developers think they should be marketing a game to their audience. Likewise, a poorly crafted x-statement can be damaging, setting the wrong tone and ultimately damaging the concept or creating confusion around what is being created.Īs a publisher, x-statements give us a glimpse into the mind of game developers. Well-crafted x-statements can evoke both a sense of gameplay and market positioning, transporting a reader to really understand where your game is going.
“I’m working on a game that is Cooking Mama meets Elite Beat Agents.”ĭevelopers view x-statements as a thesis to a game pitch. “What if Towerfall had Dark Souls-style sword combat?” X-statements attempt to summarize a game succinctly using two subjects, often referencing other video games, mechanics, art styles, or popular media. Īt Kongregate we have the privilege of working with a wide variety of game developers, many of whom are enthusiastic to open up their game pitches with an x-statement. This article by John Cooney was originally posted on Kongregate’s Developer Blog.