Spiludvikling.dk

Hi everyone! I was directed here by a game company because I had some questions about how to approach game developers with a script for a game. What I would like to do is get in touch with a game company that could be interested in reading the executive overview of my game. I could send bits of the actual script and hopefully sell the script and the ideas for the game with agreed upon sales percentage as well as an initial fee for the script. How do I get in touch with the right people, do I just contact the companies on the emails they provide on their web sites and ask? I've read that a lot of the big game companies hire writers before anything else happens. When they have the script they begin production. Some of them don't accept scripts from random people.

If anyone has knwoledge about this that they would like to share it would be much appreciated 8-)

Best regards,
J.P.

You could send emails, most likely a lot of them won't read it or won't respond. I would suggest calling them and make a meeting, even if they are not interested in your script, you just broadened your network

And show your portfolio of things you've made. I'm pretty sure they are not interested if it's just a script from "a random guy". If you've made something interesting, show it to them.

Hi JP,

It's a tricky question right there. Most people would probably tell you it's not going to happen, sending a game company a script (whether it's a script for a story or a game design document, you don't specify that) and having them buy it and then make the game. I tend to agree with them, but of course miracles may happen, so no harm in trying .
Be aware though, that for legal reasons some companies will probably not want to look at any emails or documents containing game ideas. Tim Schaefer from Double Fine says it humorosly here at their faq page:
"Can I send you my idea for a game?
You should hang on to that idea until you’re ready to make it yourself. Because if you send it to us, our lawyers will jump on it like a hand grenade and not ever let us see it, for reasons only they understand. I’m sure your idea is great, though, and you should really try to make it some day. So stop showing it to people or else it’s going to get ripped off (by someone far less scrupulous than us)." - http://www.doublefine.com/about/

I would say if you want to get into game writing it is probably a more realistic approach to look out for jobs that involve writing in all kinds of ways for games, not only the big "I did the whole manuscript!" kind of way. For example Massive in Malmö used to have some story/game writer positions on their web page, some smaller companies might also be looking for that type of person. I started as game designer on a series of adventure mobile games, where I got to write a lot of dialogue trees, which was great when into both design and writing as it sounds like you are?
A quick google search brought out this gem of a job, which might give you a good idea of what a established studio expects of a writer: http://jobs.gamasutra.com/jobs/363-3330 ... ael-CA-USA

Good luck!

This is what I usually send people who submit "ideas for revenue share":

http://www.obscure.co.uk/frequently-ask ... ign-ideas/

Notice #2:

" From an industry point of view an idea is of zero value without a development team to actually make the game. It doesn’t matter if it really is the best idea in the world because until it is made into a game it can’t be sold and thus has no value."

Hey

The game industry doesn't work like the publishing industry. You can't submit a script and get it taken in by a game company like you would do with a novel. It works with novels because you are the development team. You can do it from start to finish. You've got a product.

So basically ... what the guys above said.

Everybody wants to realize their own ideas. Including the companies you approach with yours. So they're not likely to buy into someone else’s dream.

You could try making a prototype or getting some funding at e.g. Nordic Game or DFI here in Denmark or something likewise. Maybe even a Kickstarter if your idea is that fantastic. But Kickstarters are hard and brutal work.

Oh and unlike what Tim Shafer says, show it to everyone and listen to their critique.

Good luck.

Morten Brunbjerg
- Game Writer
http://mortenbrunbjerg.dk