u/Fickle_Elk4406

When we launched, we built a strict filter to evaluate every project. First up: genre. It either needs to be riding a massive hype wave or have a rock-solid, loyal audience. But it shouldn't be a saturated market over-crowded with identical games and teams.

Next is the hook. The game needs a unique selling point that sets it apart from competitors, but it still has to be intuitive and engaging. Ideally, you can pitch the core idea in a single sentence.

Then comes the setting. We want it clear and recognizable—think zombies, sci-fi, or classic fantasy. We usually skip overly complex or exotic worlds. Sorry, but cat-girls riding rhinos probably won't cut it.

Visuals are just as crucial. The game has to pop. It doesn't need a triple-A budget, but the art style must grab a player's attention from a single screenshot or a 2-second gameplay clip.

But here’s the ultimate dealbreaker: dev feasibility and team capability. Great ideas are worth nothing if the team can't actually pull them off.

We log all these criteria into a weighted scoring spreadsheet. Each game gets a final rating out of 100, we filter the top scorers, and that’s how we pick the teams we're ready to partner with.

If you had a $20k marketing budget for your indie game, how would you spend it?

Here’s a quick breakdown of what we actually look for when scouting games for our publishing label