Game Trailers take a lot of time and can sometimes be costly, leading a lot of indie developers to skip the process entirely or at least ask the question; does every indie game really need a trailer?

Short Answer: Yes.
Long Answer: Definitely yes!

I guarantee you, all of your favorite games have a trailer. A trailer is the first thing a potential player sees. Without it, a lot less people will see your game. Whether it’s on social media or on a storefront like Steam, PlayStation, and Xbox. Trailers are incredibly important. It’s your one chance to sell your game because pictures don’t explain enough and reading is boring! When I’m looking for a game to play, I want to see what I’m buying. I want to see action, animated characters, and gameplay! When looking into getting an indie game trailer, you have two options.

Make Your Own Trailer

If you don’t feel like spending money on a trailer, you still absolutely should have one! You can go the simple route, by just recording the most interesting parts of your gameplay and cutting it together. Or you could get a little fancy with it and learn how to make a great game trailer! I’d recommend finding the perfect background music first. Something that suits your genre and sounds professional. After finding music for your trailer, record the most interesting parts of your game and record some cinematic b-roll. Anything from an NPC walking to a tree blowing in the wind. Just makes sure it fits the vibe. Lastly, edit together all of your clips, match it to the trailer music and MAKE IT MAKE SENSE. Your indie game trailer shouldn’t be just a bunch of random clips thrown together. Put the gameplay clips in an order that make it clear to the viewer what’s going on.

Hire An Editor

If you don’t have the time to put together an indie trailer, you can reach out to someone who has experience. Like me! Skip the entire process of research, recording, and editing that can take days or weeks and let an editor take care of it for you. All you have to do is send over your game and any pre-recorded gameplay you have and I’ll give you an estimate on your project ASAP!