Table of Contents

Executive Summary

Concept Statement

A concept statement summarizes the key features, target audience, and unique benefits of a product or service idea. It’s a persuasive tool that serves as the first impression of an idea and captures its potential impact.

Vision Statement

A compelling sentence or two that encapsulates the game’s overall vision and potential impact.

Problem or Opportunity

The statement should clearly define the issue or market gap that the concept aims to address.

Example:

The action-adventure genre is saturated with open-world games, but few allow players to experience the life of a bounty hunter in space, navigating morally complex alliances and exploring dynamic, player-driven storylines in a fully open galaxy.

Proposed Solution

A brief description of the product, service, or idea that will solve the identified problem or capitalize on the opportunity.

Example:

“Space Pirates” is an open-world action game that puts players in the role of a bounty hunter in a vast galaxy. The game combines intense space combat, ship customization, and narrative-driven missions in an ever-changing world where allegiances shift, and the stakes are high.

Target Audience

Identification of the specific group of customers or users who will benefit from the proposed solution.

  • Age Group: Specify the age range (e.g., children, teens, adults, all ages) to tailor the game’s content, difficulty, and themes appropriately.
  • Demographics: Mention factors like gender, cultural background, and region, if relevant, to better align themes and storytelling.
  • Interests and Hobbies: Include hobbies, genres, or themes the audience enjoys, such as sci-fi, fantasy, sports, or puzzle-solving.
  • Gaming Experience: Consider whether your audience consists of casual players, core gamers, or hardcore enthusiasts, as this influences complexity and accessibility.
  • Similar Games or Preferences: Reference comparable games or franchises your audience is likely to enjoy, creating clear market positioning. Discuss market trends and the success of similar titles to demonstrate the viability of the target market.
  • Platform Preferences: Indicate if the audience typically plays on PC, console, mobile, or other platforms to ensure the game fits their preferences.
  • Market Viability and Size: Analyze the potential size and success of the market, referencing successful games that align with your target audience’s tastes and platform choices.
  • Licensing or Sequel Consideration: If applicable, describe how your game fits within an established market, especially if it’s based on a licensed property or is a sequel to a previous title.
  • Target Audience Demand: Research the demand for games similar to yours within your target audience. Use platforms like www.gamestats.com to gather data on user preferences and buying behavior. This will show how your game aligns with the interests and expectations of your core audience.
  • Example:

    Target Audience: Gamers aged 18–35 who enjoy action-packed, open-world games with immersive storytelling, space exploration, and strategic combat mechanics. Ideal for fans of Star Wars or No Man’s Sky, as well as those who value morally complex characters, high-stakes decisions, and visually stunning worlds. Designed for PC and console players seeking a mix of exploration, customization, and challenge. This market has been proven successful by titles like Starfield and Elite Dangerous, showing significant demand for deep, expansive sci-fi adventures. The game is well-positioned for success, catering to both core gamers and those interested in rich narrative-driven experiences.

Market Position

Brief mention of similar games or inspirations.

Market Analysis

This section provides an in-depth look at the market for the proposed game, using available industry data and market trends to assess the potential success of the title. If possible, this analysis should be backed by research from a marketing department or a market research firm. If conducted independently, use reliable sources and avoid making purely speculative claims.

  • Market Trends: Analyze the current trends in the gaming industry, focusing on the genre of your game. Look at successful titles in similar genres, their sales performance, and user engagement metrics. This will help position your game in the context of what is currently popular or emerging in the market.
  • Competitive Landscape: Identify the top competitors in your game’s genre and analyze their success, platform performance, and key features. Understanding how well these games performed can provide insight into the potential for your game to succeed. For example, if other open-world space games have seen strong sales, this indicates a demand for the genre.
  • Potential Challenges: Highlight any challenges that might affect the market performance, such as high competition, changing player expectations, or platform-specific barriers. Knowing these challenges allows you to strategize on overcoming them.

List of Top Performers

This section highlights successful games in the relevant genre, detailing their sales, platforms, and release dates. These games serve as industry benchmarks, offering valuable context for understanding the market performance of similar titles.

example:

  • Starfield (2023) - Sales: 10 million copies (approx.), Available on PC and Xbox. A major title in the open-world sci-fi genre that successfully blends RPG >elements with space exploration. Released in September 2023.
  • Elite Dangerous (2014) - Sales: Over 3 million copies, Available on PC, Xbox, PS4. Known for its detailed space exploration mechanics and multiplayer elements.
  • No Man’s Sky (2016) - Sales: Over 20 million copies, Available on PC, PS4, Xbox, and Switch. Famous for its procedurally generated universe and constant updates

Feature Comparison

This section compares the key features of top-performing games in the genre with the features of the proposed game. This comparison allows for identifying both similarities and unique elements that set the new game apart from existing titles.

example:

  • Tactical Combat: In Starfield and *Elite Dangerous, space combat revolves around ship movement and targeting, with players managing ship systems for combat >advantage. *Space Pirates aims to offer more depth with customizable ship designs and crew management, adding more strategic depth to the combat.*
  • Storytelling and Player Choice: No Man’s Sky has evolved to include more narrative elements, but Space Pirates will offer deeper, narrative-driven missions >with dynamic consequences based on player choices, including moral dilemmas and alliances.
  • Exploration and Worldbuilding: Elite Dangerous provides a vast universe with detailed star systems, while Space Pirates aims to enhance this with >procedurally generated factions, storylines, and hidden secrets that can be discovered based on player decisions, making each playthrough unique.

Unique Selling Proposition (USP)

List the features that distinguish the game from others in the genre, focusing on innovative mechanics, gameplay systems, or marketable elements.

Example:

What sets Space Pirates apart is its seamless blend of fast-paced space combat with narrative-driven, choice-based gameplay. Players can choose their path—becoming a hero, anti-hero, or villain—while facing the dynamic consequences of their decisions in an evolving galaxy.

Benefits

Avoid generic claims like “great graphics” or “compelling music, let the consumer judge what is jugdable.

Example:

*Space Exploration: Explore a vast, procedurally generated galaxy full of hidden secrets, unique factions, and ever-evolving storylines.

Storytelling: Make impactful decisions that shape your journey and the universe, offering high replayability with every playthrough.

Combat: Engage in intense, tactical space battles and customize your ship and crew to suit your playstyle.*

Business Model

A brief overview of how the concept will generate revenue or achieve its objectives.

Example:

The game will be sold through digital platforms like Steam and the Epic Games Store as a premium product with optional in-game cosmetic purchases for ship customizations. A season pass model will be introduced for future story expansions and additional content.

Implementation Plan

Where relevant, a high-level outline of how the concept will be brought to life, including key milestones or strategies.

Example:

*Pre-production: Concept and world-building, including defining the main game mechanics, art style, and core gameplay loop.

Development Milestones: Alpha build focusing on core combat mechanics and ship customization (6 months). Beta release featuring the first set of story missions and procedural galaxy generation (12 months).

Launch Strategy: Release on PC initially, followed by a console release 6 months later. Post-launch updates will focus on additional missions, new ships, and user-generated content.*

Team and Resources

Brief mention of key team members or studio capabilities.