Marketing Requirements

July 12th, 2013 by GameHouse

All games released on the GameHouse network must provide these assets and comply with these marketing requirements. These assets are required for all games, regardless of platform.

It is important to note that marketing images rarely reflect the game 100%. The marketing images usually are slightly glorified versions of the game. In the final marketing title images this is most apparent, but regular in-game screenshots sometimes also employ subtle effects to make them look more appealing.

Every game must submit, at minimum, the following:

  1. A “master art” layered file
  2. 6 in-game screenshots

See below for further information regarding these deliverables.

“Master Art” File 
A games master art file is a .psd file which is used as a base for all the different images used on our platforms and requested by our distribution partners.

Different elements in the image must be layered. For example, important game characters as separate layers, level backgrounds as separate levels, and so on. If possible, use layer sets to combine similar elements. All main elements (characters, logos, background elements etc) in the master image must be freely movable.

Please have glows, text, objects, and other unique elements separated out onto different layers. This will help our artists utilize clean versions of your art in unique ways on our marketing and sales materials.

The .psd should never be smaller than 800×600 pixels!

At bare minimum, master artwork must contain:

  • Game logo (highest res, vector version preferred: 300 DPI, .ai/.eps files)
  • Key background elements
  • Main characters

For an example of a satisfactory master art file, refer to Master.psd in the ‘cover art’ folder of the Marketing Art Example package on our Resources page.

Also, additional graphical elements are always appreciated by our graphic design team. If you do have additional assets, such as recognizable scene pieces, characters, or story items, please include those in a separate folder within your art handoff. For an example of this, refer to the ‘additional marketing material’ folder in our Marketing Art Example package.

Screenshots 
Screenshots are the first look the user has into what kind of game they might be purchasing so their quality and content should not be understated.

Ideally, the set as a whole should be a “vertical slice” of gameplay. This means that each mode and major feature should be represented and that the set provided portray the gameplay experience as thoroughly as possible. For example, if the game is a click management title with unlockable modes, hidden object mini-games and a shopping experience – each one of these features should have their own screenshot.

Screenshots should not be a simple representation of the experience but rather the most appealing depiction of the user experience as possible. This is done by showing material from the game which makes the game look especially attractive (special effects, interesting gameplay situations, etc.), while at the same time it should be apparent what is happening in the game.

Screenshots of game main menus are not advised since they almost never portray the game itself in any meaningful way. There are exceptions though if the main menu happens to be particularly stunning or the game is from an acclaimed franchise and the main menu itself calls this out in a particularly evident way.

A minimum of 6 screenshots is mandatory for our process.

The screenshots should be arranged so that the best looking and most descriptive single in-game shot is number one, the next best looking number two and so on. The first shots are clicked on most often, but it is also important to show as much variance as possible in all six in-game shots.

Other requirements:

  • The screenshots should be saved as .jpg max quality.
  • The size of the screenshots should be 800×600 pixels.
  • Naming convention: screenshot_800x600_1.jpg to screenshot_800x600_6.jpg.
  • There should be no “drop shadow” on the screenshots.
  • The screenshots should be in fullscreen and not taken in window mode.
  • If a profile name is shown in the screenshot – it cannot be offensive or reference any company other than GameHouse. The name of your wife / husband / child is usually safe!
  • Some capture programs will place a frame or border around the screenshot – this is inadvisable and should be avoided if possible.
  • Do not show the application bar along the top of the game in the screenshot.
  • Do not show the OS task bar in the screenshot.
  • Do not show the OS’s arrow, unless that is the arrow used by the player in game.

We reserve the right to decline screenshots deemed poor or inappropriate as well as the right to replace any provided with others manually taken by GameHouse.

For examples of a screenshots, refer to the ‘screenshots’ folder of the Marketing Art Example package on our Resources page. Please do note that screenshot ‘screenshot_800x600_6.jpg’ violates the game menu guideline, and is an example of a poor submission choice.

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