How to pitch a game studio (and what studios look for)
You code, draw, compose, write or do any other game craft, and you want an indie studio to hire you. Here's what a studio is actually checking when your pitch lands, what to put in it, and how to get your first few yeses while you're still building a network.
- Studios look for three things: work that fits their game, proof they can see in seconds, and signs you're reliable.
- A good pitch has four parts: one line about their game, your 1 to 3 most relevant pieces, your rate and availability, and a concrete next step.
- Write each pitch for one studio. Fewer, better pitches beat a lot of copies.
- No network yet? Jams, hobby roles and small paid tasks get you work to show and people who can vouch for you.
This guide came out of feedback from a member, a freelance Unity programmer, who asked how to approach studios, what to put in a proposal, and what studios look for when you don't know anyone yet. If you want the earlier step, finding devs who haven't posted anything and sending a short cold message, that's in how to pitch a game dev. This one is about the pitch itself: the moment a studio is comparing you to other people.
What studios actually look for
A small studio reading pitches is usually one or two people between other jobs. They're trying to answer a few questions fast.
1. Do you fit this game?
Genre and style come first. A studio making a cozy pixel farming game wants to see pixel art, soft music or Godot or Unity work on a game like theirs, not your best work in a totally different style. If you've done something close to their game, lead with it. If you haven't, say plainly how you'd approach theirs.
2. Can they see your work in seconds?
Make the relevant work one click away and quick to judge: a 30 second clip, one piece, a short gameplay GIF, a playable build, a repo with a readme that says what to look at. A link to a whole catalog or a long reel asks them to do the sorting for you, and most won't.
3. Will you be easy to work with?
This is the part people forget, and it's often what decides between two people whose work both fits. Studios want to know:
- Availability: when you can start, and roughly how many hours a week.
- Rate: a number or a range, and what it's for (per hour, per track, per asset, for the whole job).
- Timeline: how long a first piece or first milestone would take.
- Communication: that you answer messages, ask good questions and say early when something slips. Your pitch itself is the first sample of this, so keep it clear and kind.
What to put in a pitch
Four parts, in this order, in a few short paragraphs:
- One line about their game. Something specific that shows you looked: a mechanic, the art style, the mood, what the role says they need.
- The 1 to 3 most relevant pieces. Pick the ones closest to their game, and say in a few words why each one is relevant.
- Rate and availability. When you can start, how much time you have, and what you charge or the range you work in.
- A concrete next step. A short call, a small paid test, or a first milestone. Make it easy for them to say yes to something small.
Here are three examples. Swap in your own details; the shape is what matters.
Example: a programmer
Hi! Your role for Tidepool Tactics mentions a Unity programmer for the grid combat and turn order. I've built two turn-based prototypes in Unity, and the closest one is linked here, with the pathfinding and undo system called out in the readme. I'm free from mid-November for about 20 hours a week, and I work at $35 an hour. If it helps, I could take one small paid task first, like the turn order UI, so you can see how I work before committing to more.
Example: a pixel artist
Hi! Love the warm palette in your Hollow Lantern screenshots. I do 16x16 and 32x32 pixel art for top-down games, and I've attached a character sheet and a forest tileset in a similar style. I can start next week and do about 15 hours a week. My rate is $25 per character with 4 directions of walk animation, or I can quote the tileset as a whole. Happy to do one character first so you can check it fits.
Example: a composer
Hi! The role says you want something calm but a little eerie for the night levels in Moss & Moth, so I picked two loops in that mood: a soft piano ambience and a music box piece. I'm free from December and can usually turn around a first track in about a week. I charge $200 per looping track. Want me to try a 30 second sketch over your night level clip first?
What these have in common: they're short, they're about the studio's game, they show only the work that fits, and they end with a small, clear next step. None of them oversell. If a sentence would fit in an ad, cut it.
Pitching a studio on IndieGuild
On IndieGuild, studios post open roles on the Job board, and a pitch to a studio is called a proposal. Here's how it works, so you're not guessing.
- Apply on a role that fits your craft. Each role is for one craft, and Apply only goes through if that craft is on your profile. If you do more than one craft, add it to your profile first.
- Studio hiring for something else? Use Offer my craft. If a studio's roles are for other crafts but it takes offers, you'll see a button with your craft on it, like Offer my art or Offer my programming. That sends a proposal to the studio that isn't tied to one of its roles. Some studios switch offers off, and then the button isn't there.
- Pick the work to send. The proposal asks you to choose up to three pieces from your portfolio. Uploads count, and so do your past projects and your portfolio link, which helps programmers, writers, marketers, QA testers, translators and UI designers who mostly show work as links.
- Write a real note. It needs at least 40 characters and can have up to two links, since your work already goes with it. There are optional fields for your rate, the pricing unit and your timeline, so the studio sees the reliability stuff at a glance.
- Hobby roles take proposals without work. If your portfolio is empty, you can still send a proposal to a hobby role, and the studio sees that you're new and building a portfolio. Paid and rev share roles need at least one piece.
- Quality over quantity. You can send three proposals a day (one on your first day), and a note that's nearly the same as one you sent another studio that week gets stopped, so write each one for that studio. Studios can also cap how many proposals wait for an answer on a role. When a role is full, tap "Tell me if it reopens" and you'll hear when there's room.
- Turn on role alerts. You'll get an email when a new open role fits your work, at most once a day, with an option for paid roles only. Being one of the first thoughtful proposals on a role is a good place to be.
The studio hears about your proposal right away, and once more if it sits unread for two days, so you don't need to chase it. IndieGuild is free and takes no cut; you and the studio agree on pay and rights directly.
If you don't have a network yet
Everyone starts here. A network is mostly people who've seen you deliver, so the goal is to get a few small, finished things with real people as fast as you can.
- Game jams. A weekend jam gets you a finished game, a credit and teammates who've seen how you work. itch.io lists jams, and Jam Crew on IndieGuild helps you find a team.
- Hobby roles. Small passion projects are a fair way to get your first shipped piece, especially when your portfolio is thin. Pick ones with a clear scope, and get what you're agreeing to in writing, even if it's a short message.
- Small paid tasks. Offer one sprite, one sound pack, one bug fix or one menu screen instead of the whole job. It's an easy yes for a studio and a quick win for you.
- Be responsive. Answer quickly, show progress early, and say when something will be late. It's the cheapest way to stand out, and studios remember it.
- Ask for a short testimonial. When a job or jam goes well, ask the dev for a sentence or two you can quote. Put it on your profile or portfolio site and mention it in your next pitch.
Each of these gives you something for the next pitch: a piece that fits, a credit, or a line from someone who's worked with you.
Common mistakes
- Sending everything. Ten links make the studio do the work. Pick the 1 to 3 that fit.
- One message for every studio. They can tell. On IndieGuild, a copy of a note you sent another studio that week won't go through.
- No rate, no dates. "Let's discuss" is fine when you really can't say, but a range and a start date make you easier to say yes to.
- Pitching outside your craft without saying why. If you're offering something a studio didn't ask for, say in one line why it would help their game.
- Overpromising. Don't offer a timeline you can't keep to win the job. Missing it costs more than the job was worth.
- Going quiet after the yes. The first week of a job is when a studio decides whether to hire you again.
Frequently asked questions
What do game studios look for when hiring a freelancer?
Mostly three things: work that fits their game's genre and style, proof they can see in a few seconds (a clip, a build, a piece or a repo), and signs you'll be easy to work with: when you're free, what you charge, how long it'll take, and that you answer messages. A smaller portfolio that fits their game usually beats a bigger one that doesn't.
What should I put in a pitch to a game studio?
Four things: one line about their game that shows you looked at it, the one to three pieces of your work closest to what they need, your rate and when you can start, and a concrete next step, like a short call or a small paid test. Leave out your life story and your whole catalog.
How is pitching a studio different from cold messaging a game dev?
A cold message goes to a dev who hasn't asked for help yet, so it's short and light, with one link. A pitch to a studio that's hiring, or that takes offers, is closer to a short proposal: they're comparing people, so give them your rate, availability, timeline and the work that matches, all in one place.
Can I pitch a studio that isn't hiring for my craft?
Often, yes. On IndieGuild, if a studio's open roles are for other crafts but it takes offers, you'll see an Offer my button with your craft on it (Offer my art, Offer my programming and so on). It sends a proposal to the studio that isn't tied to one of its roles. Applying to a specific role only works if that role is for your craft.
Can I pitch a studio if I don't have a portfolio yet?
On IndieGuild, hobby roles take proposals without any work attached, and the studio sees that you're new and building a portfolio. Paid and rev share roles ask you to pick at least one piece of work. Past projects and a portfolio link count, so you don't need uploads to qualify.
How many proposals can I send on IndieGuild?
Three a day, and one on your first day. Each friend you invite who publishes a page adds one more a day, up to three extra. Roles can also fill up: a studio picks how many proposals can wait for an answer at once, and when it's full you can ask to hear when it reopens. It's free, and IndieGuild takes no cut of what you get paid.
Give studios one page that shows your work
Make a free profile with your work, past projects, rates and what you're open to, then turn on role alerts so new roles that fit land in your inbox. No cut taken.
Make my free profileMore guides
- How to pitch a game dev (for creators)
- How to find work as an indie game developer
- How to find game programming and game design work
- How to find game art work as an indie artist
- How to find game music work as a small composer
- How game music, sound and voice acting is priced
- Rev share agreement for indie games