Guide for developers
How to make an indie game press kit
A press kit is the page a journalist, streamer or event organiser opens when they decide whether to cover your game. If everything they need is there, in one place, you have made their job easy. This guide covers what to put in it, how to lay it out and the mistakes that cost coverage, with a checklist at the end.
What a press kit is for
The people who read your press kit are usually working to a deadline. They want facts they can copy without retyping, art they are allowed to use, and someone to ask when something is missing. A press kit is not a sales page: it does not need to persuade anyone, it needs to answer their questions before they have to ask.
A good kit also saves you time. Every request for a logo, a release date or a bigger screenshot is an email you no longer have to answer, and every journalist who finds what they need is more likely to finish the article.
What to include
The facts
- The name, written exactly as you want it printed, including capitals and punctuation.
- Who made it: the developer, the publisher if there is one, and where the studio is based. Regional outlets often cover local studios first.
- Release date, or an honest window. "2027" is better than a date you are likely to miss.
- Platforms and price, if set, with links to every store page and wishlist.
- Two descriptions: one sentence and one paragraph. Writers quote these, so make them accurate and plain.
- Genre, number of players and languages.
- Notable facts: awards, festival selections, a successful campaign or a notable team history, each one checkable.
Art
- Key art in high resolution, with the logo and without it, so editors can crop it for their own layouts.
- The logo as a transparent PNG, in a version for light backgrounds and one for dark.
- Six to ten screenshots at full resolution, from the real game. Show variety: different areas, the core loop, the interface. Mockups and paintovers that look like gameplay mislead readers and damage trust.
- Descriptive file names, such as
star-forge-screenshot-01.png, so files still make sense once downloaded.
Video
- The trailer on YouTube, so it can be embedded in articles.
- A downloadable video file as well, for streamers and video creators who edit their own footage. Raw gameplay footage without music is useful too.
The team
A short studio history, who made the game and what they made before. A sentence or two each is enough. A team photo helps features and interviews.
Contact and keys
- A named press contact with an email address someone reads every working day. A contact form alone slows people down.
- How to ask for a key for a review or preview: an email address, or the page of a key distribution service if you use one.
Embargoes and permissions
- Embargoes: if you share news before it is public, state the date, the time and the time zone, and exactly what is under embargo.
- Permission: one line saying press and creators may use the assets for coverage of the game.
How to lay it out
- Make it a web page first. A page can be read on a phone, searched and linked to. Offer a single download with all the assets as well, but never only a PDF or a shared folder that asks for access.
- Put the facts at the top, then the art, then the video, then the team and contact.
- Give it a short, stable address, such as
yourstudio.com/press, and link to it from your website menu, your store page where allowed and your email signature. - Keep it current. Show the date it was last updated, and change the release date and screenshots as the game changes.
- One page per game if you have several, plus a studio page that links to them.
Mistakes that cost coverage
- An out-of-date release date or old screenshots, which make the article wrong.
- No contact address, or one nobody answers.
- Assets only in a shared folder that needs an access request.
- Small or compressed images that look blurry once published.
- A trailer that only exists on social media and can't be embedded or downloaded.
- Screenshots that are mockups or paintovers rather than the game.
- Descriptions full of superlatives, which writers can't quote as fact.
The checklist
Copy this into your own notes and tick it off.
- The game name, written exactly as you want it printed
- Developer, publisher and where the studio is based
- Release date, or an honest window such as "2027"
- Platforms, price if set, and links to every store page
- A one-sentence description and a one-paragraph description
- Genre, number of players and languages
- Key art in high resolution, with and without the logo
- The logo as a transparent PNG, in a light and a dark version
- Six to ten full-resolution screenshots of the real game
- The trailer on YouTube, plus a downloadable video file
- A short studio history and the team behind the game
- A named press contact with an email address someone reads
- How to ask for a review or preview key
- Embargo date, time and time zone, if you share news early
- A line saying press may use the assets for coverage
- One download with all the assets, and a date the page was last updated
Your game is already on Steam? Our free Steam press kit generator drafts the fact sheet, description and screenshot list from your store page, so you can start from there.