How to Make an Indie Game Trailer

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Making a strong trailer for your game can be a huge challenge, so I’ve collected a bunch of tips and best practices from the industry’s top trailer makers. More resources can be found in the description, below.
=== Sources and Resources ===
What Makes an Indie Hit?: How to Choose the Right Design | Ryan Clark
www.gamasutra.com/blogs/RyanC...
Heaven’s Vault Case Study | Derek-Lieu.com
www.derek-lieu.com/blog/2019/...
Trailer Made: What Makes a Successful and Memorable Game Trailer | GDC Vault
www.gdcvault.com/play/1025729...
Worst Trailer Mistakes | MJoshua.com
mjoshua.com/blog/2016/05/02/wo...
Salvage your game trailer with these 12 tricks | MJoshua.com
mjoshua.com/blog/2016/08/25/sa...
How Game Trailers Are Made (PAX West 2017) | Derek Lieu on KZbin
• Firewatch to Ooblets: ...
Trailer Editors To Hire
Derek Lieu - www.derek-lieu.com/
Kert Gartner - www.kertgartner.com
Marlon Wiebe - mwiebe.com
M. Joshua - mjoshua.com
Dino Katherine - trailergoblin.com
Vanessa Williams - filmette.com/editor
James McGregor - corfiz.com
Keith Shetler - saturdaymorningcereal.co
Ben Combes - benjamincombes.com
Shaun Finney - shaunfinney.com
A Shell in the Pit - ashellinthepit.com
Evolve PR - evolve-pr.com
Find out more
Video Game Trailer Specifications | Derek-Lieu.com
www.derek-lieu.com/blog/2017/...
The Best Debug Tools for Game Capture | Derek-Lieu.com
www.derek-lieu.com/blog/2018/...
Making Entertaining and Engaging Video Game Trailers | Kert Gartner
www.kertgartner.com/making-en...
Virtual Cinematography for VR Trailers | Kert Gartner
www.kertgartner.com/virtual-c...
Capturing Great Footage for Game Trailers | GDC Vault
www.gdcvault.com/play/1025079...
Ideal Game Trailer Length and Labeling | Derek-Lieu.com
www.derek-lieu.com/blog/2018/...
=== Chapters ===
00:00 - Intro
00:40 - The Purpose of a Trailer
02:12 - Explaining Your Hook
05:02 - Pacing and Retention
08:26 - Presentation
11:06 - Case Study: Subnautica
13:16 - Conclusion
=== Games Shown ===
Hollow Knight (Team Cherry, 2017)
Wandersong (Greg Lobanov, 2018)
Owlboy (D-Pad Studio, 2016)
War Builder League (The Cyber Prophet, In Early Access)
Vesta (FinalBoss Games, 2018)
Mighty No. 9 (Comcept, 2016)
The Witness (Thekla, Inc, 2016)
Crypt of the NecroDancer (Brace Yourself Games, 2015)
Undertale (Toby Fox, 2015)
Slay the Spire (Mega Crit Games, 2019)
Mark of the Ninja (Klei Entertainment, 2012)
Night in the Woods (Infinite Fall, 2017)
Cuphead (Studio MDHR, 2017)
Wargroove (Chucklefish, 2019)
Quadrilateral Cowboy (Blendo Games, 2016)
GRIS (Nomada Studio, 2018)
Minit (JW, Kitty, Jukio, and Dom, 2018)
Superhot (SUPERHOT Team, 2013)
Heaven’s Vault (Inkle, 2019)
Heave Ho (Le Cartel Studio, 2019)
Linelight (My Dog Zorro, 2017)
Baba is You (Hempuli, 2019)
Way of the Passive Fist (Household Games, 2018)
Return of the Obra Dinn (Lucas Pope, 2018)
Orwell (Osmotic Studios, 2016)
Celeste (Matt Makes Games, 2018)
Fallout 76 (Bethesda Game Studios, 2018)
Spelunky 2 (Mossmouth, 2020)
Firewatch (Campo Santo, 2016)
Enter the Gungeon (Dodge Roll, 2016)
Assault Android Cactus (Witch Beam, 2015)
Into the Breach (Subset Games, 2018)
Absolver (Sloclap, 2017)
Katana Zero (Askiisoft, 2019)
Guacamelee 2 (Drinkbox Studios, 2018)
Dead Cells (Motion Twin, 2018)
Ooblets (Glumberland, 2020)
ABZÛ (Giant Squid Studios, 2016)
Duskers (Misfits Attic, 2016)
Hyper Light Drifter (Heart Machine, 2016)
Ape Out (Gabe Cuzzillo, 2019)
Nuclear Throne (Vlambeer, 2015)
Papers, Please (Lucas Pope, 2013)
Jack Lumber (Owlchemy Labs, 2012)
The Messenger (Sabotage Studios, 2018)
Tacoma (Fullbright, 2017)
Risk of Rain 2 (Hopoo Games, 2020)
VA-11 HALL-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action (Sukeban Games, 2016)
Forager (HopFrog, 2019)
Subnautica (Unknown Worlds Entertainment, 2018)
Yuppie Psycho (Baroque Decay, 2019)
Factorio (Wube Software, 2020)
=== Credits ===
Thoughts Alive - animeistrash
=== Subtitles ===
Contribute translated subtitles - amara.org/v/C3BEO/

[@pedromarberger4709]

Mark Brown: A game trailer should make your game’s content clear to the viewer Kojima: So, right now you can see that Norman Reedus is pregnant

[@sonhoangleminh1119]

Pedro Marberger it is very simple

[@dddmemaybe]

That's not an indie game lol.!

[@CyberLink70]

I’M SORRY *WHAT*

[@jacobmfamexo]

The video's final point - don't stay too close to the formula.

[@CyberLink70]

Jacob NO I MEAN WHY IS NORMAL REEDUS PREGNANT WHAT THE HECK

[@lemonpep4971]

"a trailer is not a random montage of gameplay clips" Mobile game ads: 😐😶

[@pando4379]

a random montage of gameplay clips that aren't in the game

[@GARTZ09]

@@pando4379 lol true

[@blazingfish8486]

I can’t reach pink colour I finally found a game for buddies Only 0.01% can clear This game makes your brain younger

[@redmirrow8913]

@@blazingfish8486 dad vs mom Noob vs pro Boys vs girls Or stuff like that

[@P.W.Plays76]

lol

[@Table53]

So many indie developers seem to forget that without properly marketing their new game and making it seem different and worth playing, then it doesn't really matter how good the game is because we're never going to find out about it! I spend a fair amount of time deliberately trying to find smaller indie titles that might have been missed and even then I still struggle sometimes. This is a great topic to make a video about, Mark. Good job!

[@roryphoenix5755]

Agreed! I'm certain I must have missed a tonne of great games over the yeas because I saw a bit of the trailer and thought "Oh another generic 2D Platformer / Dungeon Crawler / Twin Stick Shooter" etc. Whereas the trailer for games like Factorio... Damn, blew me away.

[@Table53]

@@roryphoenix5755 Yeah that is a real problem, especially in those genres that are so ubiquitous in indie game circles. If you've made a puzzle-platformer you've really, really got to sell me people on it and tell us why we haven't already played this exact game before!

[@KuraIthys]

Marketing is a very different skill from game development. And Indie devs in general are already spreading themselves pretty thin by virtue of taking on a much more diverse workload than a typical developer for a larger studio. It's also a question of resources. If I have $100,000 to work with, I'm in a very different boat to if I have $1000 to work with. There's only so much you can do, and not all of us are social media wizards (which is about all you've got if you're on the really low end of indie budgets.) Trailers are one thing of course. But a trailer presumes someone has already found your game somehow. It's the difference between someone seeing your work and it leaving a bad impression, vs never seeing it in the first place. KZbin is a great example of this difference, because you can see it in the analytics. There's a big difference between someone finding your video, watching it for 6 seconds, then deciding they're bored, and nobody seeing it in the first place. Which... If you have 100 views (or even a lot less) is the more meaningful truth. Leaving a good impression only matters if someone even knows you exist to begin with!

[@Table53]

@@KuraIthys All good points, any skills that a small developer can learn in social media marketing or any amount of money that can be budgeted towards getting a game seen is important. But what people are going to see is the trailer and some art. So there's a balance to be struck between reaching people and showing them something that will interest them! > There's a big difference between someone finding your video, watching it for 6 seconds Yeah this is like 30% of people haha, luckily everyone else seems to be less fickle when watching a video!

[@GoldenWind]

Agreed, marketing and promoting a games, and everything else is great art, and big part of work.

[@grantcooper5799]

Employer: what education do you have for this game design position? Me: I've watched every Gamemaker's Toolkit video twice Employer: You're hired

[@PantheraLeo04]

And Adam Millard

[@grantcooper5799]

@@PantheraLeo04 Thanks! I didn't know about that channel before, but I've seen some of his videos in my recommended.

[@cosmorennerstclair1892]

I could like this, but I won't disturb one of the holy numbers Edit: I made this comment at 420 likes, in case you were wondering

[@safe-keeper1042]

GMTK+Extra Credits gives you a lot to start with :) .

[@thismakesnosense]

And Mental Checkpoint (I know I'm 3 years late)

[@jordan_private]

For your next game jam, have a separate jam for trailer making and then review the best trailers.

[@raven75257]

I hope he sees this

[@Jack-mp9yg]

Jordan - Private that would be great. maybe he could you run the trailer jam after the games are finished from the game Jam so that they have footage to work with. it would also be good for networking people together and making sure the games got some exposure!

[@jordan_private]

@@Jack-mp9yg yeah. game jams are great for being forced to finish a game but part of the process is making the trailer.

[@thewaysh]

3D platformer i made with a colleague for a gamejam and i found time to make a trailer for it! - kzbin.info/www/bejne/oH_YimZjhNB9d6s

[@oggygrieves6734]

As someone who is interested in learning how to make a game but doesn't know where to learn how to code any advice

[@oriefalconer4956]

Composer on Way of the Passive Fist here, it was fantastic working on that trailer with Derek Lieu to build music that would accentuate each section of action and communicate the game's high concept in an exciting way. Really happy to see it featured here!!

[@Griftercash]

king

[@kjj26k]

You did a great job man, I add that one to the list!

[@codinginflow]

great, now I only need a game!

[@DarylTalksGames]

7:28, I don't think it can be overstated how important this is for not just indie game trailers, but for any trailer. Don't show your full hand for the sake of selling a ton of copies, the "mystery" of what else the game has to offer needs to *stay* a mystery so that the game can actually deliver that discovery later.

[@geraq0]

I read that the developers of The Messenger decided to spoil the switch from 8-bit to 16-bit and from platforming to Metroidvania in the trailer in order to make the game stand out, and honestly, it worked for me. A character in the game even lampshades this fact. It is an amazing game, but I don't know how much exposure would it have gotten if it only had shown footage from the first half of the game.

[@Edzi07]

Daryl Talks Games yeah I was a little upset when the trailer for sekiro ended up showing almost all of the major boss fights. I wish I had just watched their initial trailer and waited for the game.

[@Gadget-Walkmen]

EXACTLY. That's what I've been saying.

[@garistz]

"You don't need to turn your trailer into a full tutorial, but players shouldn't be left confused by what they actually do in the game." Hideo Kojima wants to know your location.

[@Noperare]

3 years, half an hour of trailers and still have no idea what the heck Death Stranding is about.

[@jackgarcia5926]

@@Noperare it's about being Norman Reedus and walking...I think.

[@Snacko0]

Ah but you have heard of it

[@Ineedgames]

@@Noperare Maybe there is no game, and Kojima just wanted to jerk people off.

[@jackgarcia5926]

@@Snacko0 well, yeah but that because the damn thing has been shoved down our throats, by both Sony and gaming media as a whole. It's pure Kojima privilege, if the game didn't have his name plastered everywhere, it would have plunged into obscurity.

[@kathyhalton8352]

I myself am a big fan of constipated gorilla studios

[@ripzaurus]

They're the best of the best.

[@Sir_Duckyweather]

Oh yes! They made those Escape Ape games back in the day in which you had to coax an ape to retrieve its fecal matter. Then there was that crossover with Metal Gear Solid: Subsistence wherein Snake had to painstakingly relieve himself of all those exotic meals he had partaken.

[@bobmcguffin5706]

It takes a while for them to put anything out and sometimes what they do put out is complete crap, but they have a few good games

[@quentinarchpomple-bigginsw352]

The great thing about that name is that a constipated gorilla is a ridiculous image, and yet they must exist. Right now, there's a gorilla grimacing because he can't shit right

[@vtange_dev]

Another Stooldew Valley fan I see. A man of culture I see.

[@Anomen77]

Thank you! I can now make a great trailer unjust one simple step: 1) Pay Derek Lieu to do it for me.

[@SimonClarkstone]

in Lieu of you, you might say.

[@SpartanXVII]

One thing unmentioned about the Subnautica trailer, is its narrative. It starts out with the crashing ship, then shows someone jumping out of their escape pod, dives into the water, swimming downwards, then cuts to swimming downwards, while much deeper, as if we've just missed the journey down. It shows collecting resources, then cuts to crafting them into an item, that he seems to be carrying in the next shot, then he collects more resources, has a montage of adventures, uses those resources to build his underwater base, then goes back in looking for more resources, we can figure out that he's gone further this time, and then we get "we shouldn't have gone so deep". We've been given the entire story of a subnautica playthrough, right up until a cliffhanger ending. It could still have followed the excitement graph if it had put the ship crashing at the end for example, but it wouldn't have fit the narrative. This trailer is a story, the game just fills in the gaps, and gives you the conclusion.

[@takatamiyagawa5688]

Interestingly, the gameplay trailer gives you none of the story (which was one of the most important parts of Subnautica to me), if you define "story" just slightly differently. For that, consult the cinematic trailer and console trailer, although they don't give much away either. Cinematic trailer covers the Degasi story, but nothing of the story your player character will be experiencing.

[@SpartanXVII]

Takata Miyagawa I wasn’t so much discussing the story of the game, as I was the flow of the trailer. My point is that it’s not just unrelated clips, they flow from one to the next, to form their own internal narrative structure.

[@natekite7532]

@@takatamiyagawa5688 It's less the story of the lore and more the story of the gameplay; not following the 'story' in terms of audio logs and whatnot, more the story of the player going from defenseless and poor to a massive structure and submarine.

[@dorobokino]

How to Make an Indie Game Trailer: get your game featured on Game Maker's Toolkit

[@avalanchas336]

It's funny cause it's true...

[@hochgefallen8999]

I bought so many games because of him

[@rage_2000]

*Trailer:* Hey you, looking at the screen. Lemme ask you a question *Me:* what? *Trailer:* Do you like awesome things that are awesome? *Me:* what if I said no *Trailer:* Then you gotta play this game, dude *Me:* _accurate_

[@manzanito3652]

Do the complete opposite of the mighty n9 one.

[@scottdick296]

But what if you're trying to reach AWESOME people who like AWESOME things, BRO?!

[@TheGoblinoid]

You just wanna make them cry like our entire audience on prom night

[@grantm5495]

"hey you, do you want to experience the worst game ever made?"

[@tsunamininja]

trying to make a good mighty n9 trailer would be pretty cool

[@Nazareadain]

"Want a shit game? Boy do I have a deal for you!"

[@Nikkiflausch]

I love how you suddenly just ace media engineering as well. Most of what you talk about here is more or as much about video/movie psychology as it is about games (or, specifically, game design). I recognized lots of stuff from my studies of media engineering, and all of it was explained and portrayed accurately and comprehensible. Good stuff!

[@grahamwalker2168]

Jannis Tenbrink don’t you just hate him for it!

[@pizzacookie9382]

Oh god . I will never be able to look at a trailer the same ever again .

[@Jagerbomber]

Go watch the trailer for the movie Law Abiding Citizen. They're still making trailers to the same beats.

[@gamedevmanti4578]

"If you're showing a trailer with just music and no sound effects, more than likely, it feels dry and lifeless" Looking at you, Kingdom Hearts!

[@tristanneal9552]

Oh my god yes. I was trying to remember what trailer really failed at that, and that was it. I can still hear Mike Wazowski rolling away with voice acting but no sound effects.

[@jmalmsten]

"Or... Make a 15 min arthouse movie." - Hideo Kojima.

[@DuncanZ64]

Man, how the hell did watching the Firewatch trailer again, years after beating it, still send shivers down my spine?

[@Darasilverdragon]

cuz it was a damned fine trailer that had Stanley Kubrik levels of 'now do it again but better' put into it?

[@NoodleIncidental]

Because unlike the game (spoilers), you don't see how uninteresting the events are that come immediately after the cliffhangers shown in the trailer...

[@mikeluna2026]

@@NoodleIncidental Lol, well yeah, the game is engaging, but the story is basically Slice of Life.

[@Bananenbauer123]

I watched the game on stream and found it to be really boring. You walk in a straight line in the end. Sure you can look at the scenery or do somethings, but the puzzles are really simple and it ends up what people like to call 'a walking simulator'. Games like these HAVE to have an engaging and worth while story, but quite frankly I was mostly let down by the reveal. The voice actors did a great job at filling the game with personality, but at the end of the day you can't deny that playing the game felt a bit pointless. There wasn't any real message to be derived from it.

[@mikeluna2026]

​@@Bananenbauer123 There you have said your issue: you "watched" Firewatch, not played it. Firewatch is engaging to play because the hiking mechanics are not automatic. Everything you do is a conscious act. Basically, the game gives you a destination, but you have to figure out how to get there yourself (choose what objects to climb, what paths to take, etc). Hence the act of getting to your destination itself feels like a little puzzle. And exploring and discovering the area is also rewarding. Aided by the very well realized dialogue, which you often unlock by staying alert and using the radio on the right places while traveling. That's not something you can grasp by watching the game in a video... Anyway, watching Firewatch in streaming is a terrible idea in the first place, since it's basically an adventure game (the spin is that it's in 3d, the hiking keeps you busy, and your radio is a cool variation of the typical "Examine" mechanic)... But as others have stated, the story ends rather blandly. The devs never really push the story enough to make it feel more than just a Slice of Life story.

[@tomsko863]

It's also important to know your fans, genre, and market. For a trailer to hook me, I need to see gameplay and not pre-rendered BS. I know it's common to use the pre-rendered BS as a way to build tone, but gameplay is paramount for me so I always want to see a good amount of it in the trailer so I know what I will be doing 70-90% of the time. So, understand what your fans are expecting. FPS fans will usually be less inclined to care about story, but want to see the pace of action. While RTS/TBS fans will care about what new features and systems are in the game that will affect strategy/gameplay. Kind of what you were saying, show off the "hook" of your game.

[@plipster1]

Depends on the marketing campaign, if it's a teaser trailer and you have gameplay reveals and trailers further down the pipeline, you can leave it out for other details.

[@MartialLoreNZ]

One of my all time favorites: Rainworld... "What fate, a slugcat? Prey, and predator. As the old world dies, a new ecosystem evolves...." Just one of the best voice overs in a game trailer which follows all of the "rules" mentioned in this video.

[@hardik-prajapati]

Wow! What a coincidence, I am about to complete my first game and this is for sure going to help.

[@kitthekat6844]

Hey, congratz on finishing your game! :D Good luck with it out there.

[@hardik-prajapati]

@@kitthekat6844 thank you! Although its nothing fancy or ground breaking, I am excited for it.

[@teenytries6290]

Congratulations! I wish you the best

[@hardik-prajapati]

@@teenytries6290 Thank you!

[@VladDascaliuc]

Which game?

[@BadRAM512]

"dont let players be confused about what they do in the game" this is my biggest complaint about game trailers on steam. I want to know immediately if the game is a turn based strategy, first person shooter, JRPG, etc. All it takes is a two second shot of gameplay with hud, but a lot of trailers will leave this to midway or late into the trailer, which just makes me angry.

[@spliter88]

Funny thing, when you've showed the trailer for heaven's vault that was the first time I've seen it. I've seen the game referenced a few times before, but the screenshots all made it look unappealing to me. The trailer explaining it's about finding a dead language is what made me interested enough to buy it.

[@KigaiYU]

Zelda Breath of the Wild is by dar my favorite. I can't think of another trailer that i still rewatch só many times after playing the game.

[@impheris]

precisamente y el trailer es muy diferente de lo que se explica aqui, no crees?

[@batatagan9087]

​@@impheris Not really. There's a lot of variety, shows off the game's hook (exploring the huge world), voiceovers explaining the story, leaves you wanting more and keeps your attention through it all. It also contains introduction, escalation, climax and button.

[@MrMisterkrazy]

Oh man, that trailer after the Switch announcement was so good. That one shot where the music swells and you see Link for the first time, a shield on his back, looking to the vast landscape ahead... chills every time. Then I actually played the game and that's actually what it feels like! A huge world just waiting to be explored... that was a good hype train to ride

[@kungfuskull]

The trailer i can watch a hundred times is the original vermintide trailer. Follows all these guidelines and WOW!

[@pedroscoponi4905]

The trailer for Hollow Knight: Silksong has that same effect on me, as well. That might be because I'm such a big sucker for team cherry, though...

[@linkmastr001]

The whole time I kept wondering why you were ignoring the Factorio trailer... glad I was wrong.

[@Rycluse]

The main thing I learned from this video is that Heaven's Vault flew completely under my radar but looks like just my kind of thing

[@facing_w0rlds]

Even outside of game trailers there are some nice editing principles on display here for anyone new to the profession, great video!

[@FurryWrecker911]

"We shouldn't have gone so deep" Man, that sent chills down my spine. I want to play this game now just for that bit alone.

[@takatamiyagawa5688]

I think I prefer "I wouldn't have believed the creatures that live down here..." from the other trailer.

[@Oscar-xt8hm]

I would be really interested for an analysis of a "bad trailer" to highlight the mistakes that can be done. Whatever very interesting video, nice job

[@AgsmaJustAgsma]

How to make a compeling trailer: 1) Watch Ridley Scott's Alien trailer. Well done.

[@mcdrums87]

One of the best game trailers I ever saw was for Shattered Union. Compelling idea, super interesting narrative hook. ...but it showed no gameplay, and what I expected to be a FPS or action game turned out to be a turn based strategy game.

[@kitthekat6844]

I HATE trailers that do not show gameplay... It's so annoying... I don't care about all the CGI stuff, the important thing is the game. Hence why I always end up looking at gameplay footage rather than trailer...

[@LeFaucheur]

or what he said in the video, make thousands of takes until you get prefectly choreographed action, that makes the trailer looks more like a movie than like real gameplay. + all the improvements made for the trailer but which aren't actually in the game

[@grfrjiglstan]

The best trailer I've seen has got to be the first one for FNAF 2. The music, the pacing, the implications presented, they're all just so expertly crafted. It really makes you go, "Damn, I want to play this game," even if you didn't play the first one.

[@megashark3870]

Since I'm early here for once, I just want to post this in hopes of you seeing it: You're one of my favorite content creators at the moment. I love your thought-provoking, well made videos. I don't have any grand point - I just hoped to make you feel good about yourself! Have a good one!

[@GMTK]

Thanks!

[@oscaraird4984]

@Game Maker's Toolkit. Thank you for your continuing contributions to Dev. Your thoughtful, articulate essays are doing a great deal for the scene.

[@Thatonefuckinguy]

As far as what you said in the beginning about how important discovery is. Developers, please don't copyright the BS out of KZbinrs. This mainly goes out to bigger developers then indie ones. But the point still stands across the board that attacking the gaming community is backwards. I can't tell you how many games I've looked at for around 30 minutes of unedited gameplay and decided "hey I think I'll buy that game I've never heard of." It's like shooting yourself in the foot over and over again. Let's Playing is free advertisement to your game. I simply don't understand the logic as to why you would attack it?

[@Dogman_35]

Attacking gameplay videos isn't shooting yourself in the foot, it's cutting off the whole leg. The only reason to do it is if they think it's showing off the game in a negative light. And the only reason it would do _that_ is if just seeing actual gameplay made people not want to buy the game. If you make consciously make that decision as a publisher or developer... You're basically saying that the game is shit, but you don't want people to _know_ that, so that they'll buy it anyways.

[@beinzheans3918]

while the games get more exposure, exposure doesn't pay the rent many people after watching a let's play won't buy the game again.

[@kevnar]

Pro-tip: when making your indie game trailer, try to put emphasis on the interesting choices players will have to make in your game play. Then reveal the consequences. If there are no interesting choices to make, you better add some before you worry about the trailer.

[@alexreinking]

I really appreciate how you put the full sources for the videos and name of the games being shown. This way is much improved over your old videos because now it's always clear what I'm looking at. (And I often use your channel for recommendations!)

[@ariadnelopes2000]

Thank you so much for this video. Everything I've learned about video editing up until now was alone and by myself but I've never edited a trailer for a game and I had no idea where to start, thanks to your knoledge and advices I have been ableto produce a proper mobile game trailer by joining the techniques you taugh with other things I knew and learned. This is amazing, really, thank you so much.

[@Kissaki0]

The worst kind of trailer shows no gameplay, of the kind how you actually play the game. Cutscenes, different, cinematic camera, etc. instead of how I will see the game as a player. Often times I find trailers untrustworthy when they show only short cuts of action or whatever, where I can't grasp what gameplay is actually like. The second worst thing I can't stand is review quotes. Fuck those. They alone give me no validity and no trust. You may get them from anywhere. They don't tell me anything. Others may like something, that I do not. Generic statements that it's good or exceptional tell me nothing. And when they're the gameplay scene cut separators they actively prevent me from understanding the game and gameplay.

[@LeFaucheur]

you could just make up those quotes lol.

[@MrOwNaGe95]

While I agree with all you're saying, the fact is that such trailers can work. Dead Island's trailer comes to mind; zero gameplay, barely any link to the game to the point where it becomes a complete misrepresentation of what the game was to be like, but it worked wonderfully. Death Stranding's first two trailers are the same; no gameplay and barely any indication of what the game is going to be. Yet, these trailers did what a trailer aims to do: get people to talk about the game. And they did so with success very few other trailers managed to pull off. I think both gameplay and conceptual trailers are valid trailers, that it mostly depends on where your marketing campaign is in terms of time; a gameplay trailer will definitely be better for pushing people to buy a game, but a more conceptual trailer can be just as if not more efficient much earlier on when you're trying to build hype for the game.

[@takatamiyagawa5688]

There are some genres which naturally get away with showing no gameplay in the trailer, or almost none. Racing games for example. Also, Ace Combat 7. Maybe because the genres are well-known enough that players already know roughly what it'll be like (Ace Combat Assault Horizon aside). Maybe also because what's enjoyable about the gameplay is too subtle to show up in a short shot in a trailer. Thus you might end up with a separate gameplay trailer, or gameplay demo, to show off the gameplay in longer form.

[@kitmakin289]

Review Quote Used: "...this game is exceptional." Actual Review: "In one area this game is exceptional. It's exceptionally bad."

[@PanjaRoseGold]

Smash Bros trailers often have little to know gameplay. It can work if you know what you're doing.

[@theycallmeGUN]

I’m cracking up thinking how the trailer for Elden Ring goes against every goes against every strategy in this video and it still did its job. Obv we’re talking about From Software, who literally just needs to put their name in the trailer and it’ll do numbers, but it’s still funny.

[@Unorbit]

"things are calmer now" Ship:BURNING

[@Jonifico]

One of the main issues I have always found with indie trailers is how I often can't understand the genre of the game or get a basic idea of what the gameplay flow is like. I remember thinking Heaven's Vault looks interesting, but could not picture the moment-to-moment action in my head. I also think trailers often omit reviews even though they have reviewed well. Most devs are afraid to quote something other than 9 or 10 out of 10 when 8/10 is a perfectly good score. I never, EVER get a game based on trailers alone, I always check reviews first, so it seems like a silly omission. Fantastic content, Mark. Thank you.

[@Jonifico]

Wow, I just realized how much Subnautica's trailer ticked all the boxes I mentioned in my earlier comment, except the review scores was replaced with review quotes.

[@commenturthegreat2915]

Basically, base your trailer around the same interest curve as your game should have.

[@user-sb5fm1gk7l]

Do review shots really work? I mean, they're always the same and even make me doubt they're real. They're always so positive and hollow ("Oh my, this game is awesome!"), they loose their significance.

[@umbrellaeyethingguy4665]

They only work for people that recognize and trust those reviewers. Its not necessarely a big number of people, but they do exist (afterall if they didnt there whouldnt be reviewers in the first place)

[@Selestrielle]

They probably work better if they're specific comments. "This game is dope!" isn't super convincing because it sounds like an offhand comment, but "I've never seen a crafting system so engaging!" works because it tells the viewer that 1. there's a crafting system, 2. it's potentially very engaging, and 3. it may be more engaging than the crafting system of very famous games like Minecraft. And I mean, it depends who you're quoting too. That's super tricky because you don't only need someone your audience might know and trust, but also someone your audience will relate to. Which means you have to know your audience and oh boy, for indies that can be rough. So many of them feel like they're marketed to... anyone with money. Ironically, that kind of marketing only makes your product seem more generic and less appealing.

[@kabirlal6783]

Its not necessarily what is said, but who said it. It's essentially a seal of approval from someone whose opinion a community trusts, such as a youtuber or press.

[@laggalot1012]

Personally, I think they can work, but overly generic, non-descriptive phrases like "this and this is awesome, best thing ever" tend to simply sound pretentious and vain. More specific or personal-sounding praise should be more convincing, I feel. Namedropping a unique game mechanic within the praising quote, for instance, or quotes where the reviewer specifically refers themselves should help the game stand out or communicate that the game has left its mark in its players' minds.

[@jurremioch316]

Thats why they chose people that are well known like Jack and Mark in the Subnautica trailer.

[@-........]

so far, whenever i saw a cool trailer for a game and went to see who made it, it's almost always derek lieu. it's the perfect antithesis of the no-gameplay style of trailer.

[@lilycorvatta5526]

Baba is you had one of my favourite trailers. I saw the trailer on Twitter months before the game was released and it’s trailer stuck with me because of its mechanics and neat trailer. And when i saw it release months later i still remembered everything

[@polares8187]

It is definitely a sales pitch. There are good and bad ones but it is definitely a sales pitch.

[@dpaq5885]

I think what he meant was not to Openly make it sounds like one though, because of course, the main thing you want is any case is for the game to sell, of if it is F2P, to be given a chance. But if it sounds more focused on literally trying to sell you the game, it will fail to immerse the watcher in the experience or concept it's trying to deliver.

[@ethanhudson2009]

It’s a sales pitch yes but not the way you think of one. It should make you want to play the game without even trying instead of saying “this cool new game” “72 new levels” and stuff like that

[@polares8187]

@@ethanhudson2009 You don't know that. Without seeing data about the sales figures you can't say it is better to do it like this. Trailer is a sales pitch. What matters is the sales figures.

[@bernardyap8143]

@@polares8187 I think what the video is saying that to make a good trailer, don't make it sound like a snake oil salesman, pretty much the same principle in all arts of selling, regardless of the sales figures. Unless the game is about sneaky salesman then I guess its fine to also brand the trailer like a sneaky salesman.

[@polares8187]

@@bernardyap8143 I believe saying "not a sales pitch" is disingenuous. It is like saying "I'm holier than thou. This is not a sales pitch. This is a trailer. It is art. It is a way to communicate the inner workings of your game." Yeah, yeah, yeah. We are trying to sell a game here. It is a sales pitch. Selling something and earning honest money is not something to be ashamed of. If you are good at it it is something to be proud of.

[@CalCrehan]

14:05 love how he does the unexpected, illustrating the other parts of the video😂

[@thefrenchdev965]

This video is a pure gem for any indie game developer and thus I'm really glad I've found it before doing my trailer! I've done a little "pre-alpha" gameplay trailer to have something to show when people ask me but this will definitively help me a lot in the trailer construction! Thank you so much.

[@ArmanNobari]

This is such an incredibly well made deep-dive into trailer structure! Thanks for making this.

[@commenturthegreat2915]

One of the best trailers in terms of matching music in my opinion is Factorio.

[@Roxor128]

Hell, yes! I re-watch the Factorio trailer every couple of months, even though I've clocked up over 1100 hours in the game itself.

[@sirprintalot]

"have a really lovely day" suck it, it's 1:42am and I just had a TERRIBLE day...

[@AntonLejon]

Well it's past midnight, so I guess you can have really lovely day today instead :)

[@senza4591]

hOw

[@YouFightLikeACow]

Literally just watched BOTH of those recommended videos. Both are amazing.

[@michaelfelker84]

I recently just started cutting game trailers for indie developers and I totally relate to all these elements. Especially the replaying the same moment over and over for the perfect take (for me recently, it was sliding down a hill while perfectly panning the camera). Fantastic breakdown and analysis.

[@Lugmillord]

Wow, this is a fantastic video! I really didn't know anything about trailer structuring. This is so helpful, thanks a lot :) Now I just need to remember this video's existence when I finish my game in 2157.

[@brutalvajkinggamingspectac7152]

That about sums it up! 😂

[@shadowself88]

A good trailer can really leave an impression. I still rewatch the Night in the Woods release trailer occasionally, and I've already finished the game twice!

[@tb_eest]

I keep rewatching the Battleblock Theater trailers, they're too funny.

[@chrisatallah4297]

Buddy, your work is just fantastic. Your videos are incredibly well done and informative. I hope you continue to deliver with this great content!

[@realkingofantarctica]

Sick beats in the background + close-up's of combat mechanics and movement intertwined with zoom-out's of level layout and game speed

[@Ardens91]

Only one word: SILKSONG.

[@senza4591]

OOH

[@PRDGL_WindyBW]

*AAH*

[@setteplays]

Wow, I left wanting to play Subnautica. This trailer really worked for me. And I never got interested in it before, even hearding about it.

[@twsteele1977]

I've been watching your vids for a while now just cuz i enjoy learning about what makes games so fun and it took this video to get me to realize youre making these videos, for free, to help small game devs and i think that is just the coolest thing ever

[@pacific_images]

The video is incredible, efficient, relevant and complete. You guys gave me the keys to make sur I know what to focus on for my first game trailer !

[@matthewharbinson6496]

you cant fool me: I can tell that this 14 minute video about how to make a good advert is secretly an advert for derek lieu. nice try, capitalism!

[@senza4591]

Actually, it was for Constipated Gorilla Studio

[@WhoIsSirChasm]

I'm a little surprised that you found the inclusion of the review quotes to be a permissible element in these trailers. Given the emphasis that you've highlighted on visualization/having the player become involved with the world that is being showcased, I thought the smarter choice would be to not have them clutter up the world that would be explored. From my perspective it's a very sudden jump from in-game assets to text applied solely for the trailer at hand, especially with them not just showing up during a quick cutaway from the gameplay proper. At the same time, I also can't see any moment in the trailer where they would be less obtrusive and more effective. Having them near the climax means that they sort of encompass the excited feeling the trailer aims to achieve, and having them too early would appear boastful. I kind of like the approach made by other companies where they have a shorter, more concise trailer meant to showcase accolades with the gameplay not being showcased as prominently; still a bit boastful, but at least it doesn't risk detracting from that initial display of what the game has to offer.

[@DarkSpar13]

I've always felt the best time for review quotes is before the "cold open". Just quietly open with text only review(s). Don't over use them, so no more than three. Use no music, no fanfare, don't read it aloud, maybe incorporate a background noise to lessen the dead air, then fade the review and launch that big opening shot. Alternatively you can place them after the title drop at the end of the climax (same as before, fade in, no fanfare, fade out), then drop a "button" after them to give one last taste.

[@DamageMaximo]

The point is that the reviews are made by influential and popularly loved people and they don't even last 2 seconds so it's not a problem

[@wu2166]

In this day and age, it seems that big corporate games with huge hype-ups are mostly disappointing, while indie games with small fanabases made by a small team seem to always fulfil everyone’s expectations

[@TheDarkEye]

I love your videos...whether it be about some game design topics or trailer creation, you always educate me in intertaining days. Have a really lovely day too, Mark!

[@Bagladder]

Absolutely loved this one. I really enjoy the less talked about aspects of game dev. Thank you!

[@betax44]

how to tell he is right.... after watching subnautica trailer in this video i'm gonna buy it ;D

[@Jonifico]

It's an amazing, little-known gem.

[@betax44]

thanks guys, i will definitly check it ;3

[@utisti4976]

Subnautica is one of the, if not THE best games I have ever played. Just a warning though: Only use (a certain kind of fish. Don't want to spoil it. :D) for water until you can get a knife. They are kinda rare and they can actually go extinct in most areas if you eat too many. A lot of people make that first mistake.

[@utisti4976]

@Adartho Mapping At the endgame, yeah. But it manages to "beat the grind" which is something that most games can't do.

[@takatamiyagawa5688]

@@utisti4976 Maybe at the start, actually, when you're hunting for resources before you're using the scanner room HUD chip, before you're farming food and machine-filtering water, and before the Cyclops gives you enough storage to pick up everything you see. Scanner room HUD chip is a great mechanic to get the grind done faster.

[@DDCRExposed]

2 mins in and I've already added a few games to my GoG wishlist, lol. Thank you GMTK!

[@ZaZeZo13]

This is honestly an area of the development process I've never really considered...and this is why I love this channel. Thank you for always making such stellar content!

[@AhimtarHoN]

Yay, I guess our Ghostory trailer passed the "good according to GMTK" test! :D (Well, except the company logo at the very beginning #constipatedGorillaStudios :D)

[@Grim_Pinata]

Man, I love Video Editor's Toolkit. Subscribing to this channel for quality video editing advice and tutorials was the greatest decision I could've made.

[@GunnarClovis]

Excellent video! Trailer design has always been one of my favorite subjects (I keep a big ol' list of trailers to study)!

[@limeyell0w945]

I really like trailers that are mainly shots of concept art on a wall. They're cinematic, they reveal just enough to get you hooked. And in a way, it's like they're bringing the story into our world. It also makes it feel like there was a lot of passion and work put into the game.

[@neonswift]

Very interesting, I can see where you're coming from regarding not showing the HUD, but I personally find I don't trust a game if its trailer doesn't show any UI elements. It kind of goes hand in hand with not showing in game footage. Certain genres are defined by their UI's (such as strategy games or park builders), so I expect to see it or I'll just end up having more questions. Maybe the UI doesn't need to be shown in every shot of the trailer but I have serious questions if a developer chooses not to show its UI... Whats wrong with the game? The recent footage of Monster Hunter World's DLC is a prime example of this: I know for a fact that game has one of the busiest UI's so hiding it just makes me question Capcom's intent. Its rare a game has zero UI elements but if there are too many to show in your trailer, perhaps you have too many in the game as it is.

[@randomguy6679]

Hence why I liked the PS5 showcase trailer for Baldurs Gate 3 so much. No need to hide the U.I. there

[@specknacken6507]

Metroid Prime 2 really is a hard game to analyse huh?

[@GMTK]

Dunno yet, haven’t started

[@PanjaRoseGold]

Game Maker's Toolkit Savage

[@GoldenWind]

Such a great video, just thank you for so usefull information! I was thinking a lot about trailer to my game and then just bang and this video! Lucky moment for me. Thank you a lot, and good luck to you with your channel!

[@ShinyEmeraldGames]

Thanks, that really helped me out. I used your tips for creating a trailer for my indie game.

[@fivemeomedia]

"or make a pre rendered animation then downgraded later" -AAA studios

[@thacoolest13]

Never been this early before lol :D Was just thinking about what the next video was gonna be too so this is great timing

[@JarkeyBacon]

Once again thank you for this great information GMT! This is exactly what I needed thank you :)

[@MFG1243]

Nice video, as usual. I probably won't even use this information in my life ever, but I still enjoy watching your videos a ton! You always manage to talk about any subject perfectly, even ones that would otherwise be boring. Great job!

[@NightFore]

Trailers main objective are to make the player interested but not interested in the way that you have look yourself what this game's is about. The moment you look at the trailer, you need to know what the game feature and why you should play it. Then to make this game's trailer reach more people, you'll have to let it on a easily accessible place so the ones who played it can share and tell how awesome that game was.

[@quentinarchpomple-bigginsw352]

Great video! The only problem is that this video is dangerous for my wallet - who would have thought that a video showcasing brilliant game trailers would make me want to buy games?

[@matthewjones6786]

The trailer for Tooth and Tail instantly sold me. The twisted animal fairy tale-meets-violent revolution theming and the badass theme song is fantastic.

[@SamHintz]

What a great resource for Indie devs! I'll be sure to come back to this video whenever I need to make a trailer in the future.

[@carpemkarzi]

Also Constipated Gorilla Studios is the best name for a dev studio I have ever heard...also I can see the logo in my head...thanks for that, no really thanks for that it rocks

[@NoahBarr85]

In my head it's on a black background, white silhouette of a toilet, brown silhouette of a gorilla sitting on it holding a grey silhouette of a newspaper, and he's wearing glasses to read it.

[@khongchothongtintao169]

@@NoahBarr85 why is that description remind me of George of the Jungle?

[@Juanguar]

5:08 "the viewer will click off your trailer quicker than players abandoned fallout 76" oof

[@r0flcopter]

One of your best videos yet. Unbelievably helpful, thank you

[@yoRigelElRigel]

This is the best KZbin channel I've seen in a really long time. Damn, brother... Just keep it coming. Quality content here. Thank you a lot

[@LukeCypert]

I agree with your tips, but the most important thing in advertising is emotional feel. If you can spark their emotions (joy, fear, curiosity, whatever your game deals with) you're more likely to have a response to your call to action. I'm a professional TV commercial editor.

[@MogMovies]

The game "Shower with your dad simulator" sucked, but the trailer was really catchy. Other good indie trailers IMO are "To the Moon" and "Factorio".

[@Table53]

Factorio trailer absolutely crushed it. Not 100% representative of the focus of the gameplay, but the way that it demonstrated the sheer scope of the game was jaw dropping. Even if people already own the game I think it's worth them taking a peak at the trailer.

[@starblinky4091]

My game is finish and I literally just started making a trailer but I have no idea where to go with it. Thanks for making this man! Perfect timing too!

[@Freezenification]

that focus point bit in particular is very Good and Helpful, thank you

[@EseWeroTD3]

ok.... how to explain Death Stranding...??? hahaha

[@DerekLieu]

Hideo Kojima edits those himself. I think that pretty much explains it :P

[@ZikolvinesGames]

Because Hideo Kojima is an indie developer that nobody knows

[@fardimnazir666]

@@ZikolvinesGames Ha!

[@stratidemic]

If you're like me and are now about to play Firewatch and Subnautica over the weekend Then you can see how right he is XD

[@xario2007]

Thank you for adding the titles for every game you show footage of.

[@pilo754]

Make a video about treasures and collectables in games! I've noticed some developers put treasures at the beginning of games while you're still getting familiar so you play it again and again to find them all. Also some devs put treasures in high intensity sections where your focus definitely won't be on treasures!