An open pitch bible for a game and show, laid out on a desk with design sketches.

No items found.

What Is a Pitch Bible for a Game and Show?

Building a world that can live across games, film, and television is the ultimate goal for many IP holders. But how do you ensure your story stays consistent and compelling on every screen? The answer is a strong pitch bible. This document is the strategic foundation for your entire transmedia universe, serving as the master plan that guides its creation. It’s the single source of truth that keeps your narrative from fracturing as it expands. Understanding what is a pitch bible for a game and show is the first step toward building a cohesive entertainment ecosystem where every new entry enriches the whole. It’s what separates a one-off hit from a lasting cultural phenomenon, giving your IP the legs to run across every platform.

Key Takeaways

Treat your bible as a business plan for your world: A pitch bible's primary job is to secure funding and partnerships. It must clearly define your project's target audience, market fit, and revenue model to convince decision-makers your creative vision is also a viable investment.
Prove your story has staying power: Go beyond a simple summary by providing detailed character arcs, season-long plot structures, and core gameplay loops. This demonstrates your IP has the depth to sustain a multi-season show or a long-term game franchise.
Create the master blueprint for your transmedia universe: For projects spanning games and shows, the bible is the essential guide that keeps all creative teams aligned. It ensures a consistent and cohesive world, protecting your IP's integrity as it expands across platforms.

What Is a Pitch Bible?

Think of a pitch bible as the ultimate blueprint for your creative project. Whether you’re developing a new video game, an animated series, or a live-action show, this document is where your entire vision lives. It’s a comprehensive guide that lays out all the crucial information about your world, from the characters and plotlines to the overall tone and visual style. It’s more than just a summary; it’s a detailed sales document designed to get people as excited about your idea as you are.

The pitch bible serves two main purposes. First, it’s your number one tool for selling your concept to the people who can help make it a reality—investors, producers, studio executives, and potential partners. Second, it acts as an internal guidepost for your creative team, ensuring everyone stays aligned on the core elements of the project as it moves through development and production. It’s the foundational document that proves your idea is not just a spark of inspiration, but a fully-realized world ready to be built.

Its role in getting your project funded and built

At its core, a pitch bible is a persuasion tool. Its primary job is to convince decision-makers to invest their time, money, and resources into your project. It takes all the brilliant ideas swirling in your head and organizes them into a clear, compelling, and professional package. When you hand over a pitch bible, you’re giving potential partners a tangible look into your world, allowing them to see its full potential without having to guess.

This document acts as a map for your entire series or game. It details what has happened, what is happening, and what will happen, proving that your concept has a future. It shows that you’ve thought through the story arcs, character development, and world-building, giving investors confidence that your project can sustain itself for multiple seasons or installments.

Why you need one to secure partnerships

Walking into a pitch meeting with a polished bible instantly sets you apart. It shows that you’re serious, prepared, and have a long-term plan for your intellectual property. In a competitive landscape, where executives might be looking at two equally compelling scripts, the project with a detailed bible is almost always going to have the edge. It demonstrates that your world is expansive and has the legs to grow across different platforms.

A strong pitch bible anticipates and answers the key questions a potential partner will have. It clarifies the project's unique selling points, target audience, and overall tone. By studying examples of successful TV series bibles, you can learn how to structure your own to turn a great idea into a greenlit project. It’s your best asset for proving your vision is not just creative but also a viable and strategic investment.

What to Include in Your Game Pitch Bible

Think of your game pitch bible as the definitive guide to your project. It’s the document you hand over to potential partners, investors, and publishers to get them as excited about your game as you are. It’s part sales brochure, part strategic plan, and it needs to clearly and concisely communicate your vision. While the specifics will change from project to project, a strong pitch bible always answers the big questions: What is this game, who is it for, what does it look like, and how will it succeed?

A well-crafted bible is more than just a collection of ideas; it’s a tool that demonstrates you’ve thought through every critical aspect of your game’s development and market potential. It shows you have a clear path forward and the expertise to make it happen. At Arctic7, we help creators refine these core concepts and build them into compelling, interconnected worlds. Crafting this document is a foundational step in that process, ensuring everyone involved shares the same vision from day one. Let’s break down the essential components you’ll need to include.

Core gameplay loop and mechanics

This is the heart of your game. You need to clearly explain what players do on a moment-to-moment basis. Describe the core gameplay loop—the primary cycle of actions the player will repeat. Is it exploring, fighting, and looting? Or is it planting, harvesting, and selling? Be specific and focus on the verbs. Beyond the main loop, detail the unique mechanics that make your game special. What systems or features will surprise players and set your game apart from others on the market? Avoid jargon and explain these concepts so that anyone, even a non-gamer, can understand the fundamental experience you’re creating.

Your target audience and market fit

A great game idea needs a clear audience. Who are you making this game for? Go beyond broad categories like “RPG fans” and create a detailed profile of your ideal player. Include demographics like age and location, but also psychographics like their interests, values, and other games they enjoy. This demonstrates that you understand your potential customers. Next, explain your game’s market fit. Where does it sit in the current gaming landscape? Acknowledge your competitors, but focus on what makes your game a unique and compelling choice for your defined target audience.

Art direction and visual style

Before anyone plays your game, they will see it. Your pitch bible must establish a powerful and coherent visual identity. Use mood boards, concept art, and character sketches to show, not just tell, what your world looks like. It’s helpful to use visual touchstones from other media—like films, comics, or other games—to ground your vision in a relatable context. Describe the overall aesthetic, from the color palette to the architectural style. The goal is to give readers a vivid mental picture of the final product and prove that your art style effectively serves the game’s tone and narrative, much like our work on the vibrant world of Lollipop Racing.

Monetization and revenue models

Finally, you need to explain how your game will make money. This is a critical section for any potential investor or publisher. Clearly outline your proposed monetization strategy. Will it be a one-time premium purchase? Free-to-play with in-app purchases? A subscription-based model? There are many revenue models to choose from, so be sure to justify why your chosen approach is the right fit for your game’s design and your target audience. Providing a clear and realistic financial plan shows that you’ve considered the business realities of game development and have a strategy for achieving commercial success.

What to Include in Your Show Pitch Bible

A show pitch bible is the definitive blueprint for your series. It’s the document you hand over to executives, producers, and potential partners to prove your concept is more than just a clever idea—it’s a fully realized world ready for the screen. Think of it as the ultimate guide to your show's universe. It needs to be comprehensive enough to answer every question a decision-maker might have, yet engaging enough to make them excited about the journey.

Your bible should demonstrate that your story has longevity. It needs to show that your characters are compelling enough to follow for multiple seasons and that your world is rich with narrative possibilities. This is your chance to articulate your complete vision, from the grand, overarching story to the smallest character details. A strong pitch bible builds confidence and makes it easy for others to see what you see: a hit show waiting to be made. It’s a critical tool for aligning teams and securing the strategic partnerships needed to bring your IP to life.

Character profiles and story arcs

This is where your audience will fall in love with your show. Go beyond generic descriptions of your characters. Give them flaws, complicated motivations, and a unique outlook on life. Who are they when no one is watching? What are their deepest fears and desires? Detailed profiles for your main cast are essential, but don’t forget to flesh out key supporting characters, too. Most importantly, show their potential for growth. Outline their story arcs for the first season and beyond, demonstrating how the events of the plot will change them.

Plot structure and episode outlines

One of the biggest reasons pitches fail is that the concept feels more like a movie than a multi-season series. Prove your story has legs by detailing its structure. Start with a summary of the series-long narrative, then break down the arc of the first season. To make it even more concrete, provide brief outlines for the first three to five episodes, including the pilot. This shows you’ve thought through the pacing and proves you have enough story to sustain an entire season and keep viewers coming back for more.

Core themes and overall tone

What is your show really about? This section explores the deeper meaning behind the plot. Identify the core themes—like justice, belonging, or ambition—and explain how they drive the story and affect your characters. This gives your show substance and a universal appeal. Equally important is defining the tone. Is it a dark, satirical comedy? A heartfelt family drama? A high-octane thriller? Use comparisons to well-known films or shows to help executives immediately grasp the feeling and style you’re aiming for.

Production style and visual references

Show, don’t just tell. This section brings your world to life visually. Include mood boards, concept art, character designs, and key location sketches to create a tangible sense of your show’s aesthetic. These visual references are not just for flavor; they serve as a practical guide for the entire production team, ensuring a consistent look and feel. This visual blueprint is foundational for creating an immersive world, similar to the virtual production work that helps build new cinematic universes. Your goal is to make your vision so clear that anyone can picture it on screen.

Games vs. Shows: How Pitch Bibles Differ

While a pitch bible for a show and a game share the same ultimate goal—to get your project made—the way they communicate that vision is fundamentally different. It’s not just a matter of swapping out "viewer" for "player." The entire structure and focus of the document needs to shift to reflect the medium. For IP holders looking to create a cohesive transmedia experience, understanding these distinctions is the first step toward building a world that feels authentic on every screen. This is where you move from simply adapting a story to truly expanding a universe.

Interactive vs. linear storytelling

A show bible maps out a linear journey. You’re selling a story that unfolds in a controlled sequence, focusing on plot, character arcs, and themes to prove it can sustain multiple seasons. A game bible, however, must sell an interactive experience. The story is something the player actively influences. Your bible needs to detail not just the narrative, but how the player interacts with it through core gameplay loops and systems that make the world feel responsive. It’s less about a single plotline and more about creating a world with a narrative backbone that supports player choice.

Technical needs and platform specifics

When you pitch a show, your bible outlines the creative vision with visual references for cinematography and tone. It establishes an aesthetic for a director and crew to execute. A game bible must go deeper on the technical front. You need to specify the platform, game engine, and technology required to build your world. The document must explain the mechanics and systems that drive the experience, especially with techniques like virtual production. Your bible has to prove not just that your idea is compelling, but that it’s technically feasible.

Audience engagement and retention goals

For a TV show, engagement means keeping viewers invested in the story with compelling arcs and cliffhangers. The goal is to prove you have enough story for an audience to return season after season, pitching a long-term narrative commitment. In gaming, engagement is about retaining players in the world. A game bible must outline systems for this, like rewarding progression and compelling gameplay loops. It’s not just about the story’s hook; it’s about the minute-to-minute experience. The bible needs to answer: Why will a player log in tomorrow? This involves detailing replayability and long-term content roadmaps.

Overcoming Common Pitch Bible Challenges

Creating a pitch bible is more than just an exercise in world-building; it’s about translating a universe from your head onto the page in a way that excites and convinces potential partners. It’s a process that comes with its own set of hurdles. But by anticipating these common challenges, you can turn potential weaknesses into the very strengths that get your project greenlit. Think of it as pressure-testing your idea to ensure it’s ready for the big leagues.

Keeping your story consistent across platforms

When you’re building a world meant to live across games, shows, and more, consistency is everything. Your pitch bible is the single source of truth that keeps the narrative from fracturing. It serves as the backbone for your entire project, ensuring the story remains cohesive no matter the medium. This document is what guides every creative team, from game developers to screenwriters, so that character motivations, world-building rules, and key thematic elements stay aligned. A strong bible prevents the right hand from not knowing what the left is doing, creating a seamless experience for your audience as they move through your entertainment ecosystem.

Finding the right balance between detail and clarity

It’s easy to get lost in the weeds of your own creation. You want to show how deep and rich your world is, but too much information can overwhelm a reader. The key is to provide enough detail to prove your concept has legs without drowning them in lore. One of the most common issues with pitches is a lack of sufficient story and character arcs to justify a full series. Your bible needs to showcase that depth, focusing on the most compelling plot points and character journeys. Give them the highlights that prove the world is expansive and worth exploring, but leave them wanting to know more.

Making your project stand out

In a sea of pitches, yours needs to make a splash. Your bible is your chance to communicate what makes your project truly special. While every bible is unique, they all need to connect with the reader and express the creator’s original vision. Don’t be afraid to let your voice shine through. What is the unique tone of your show? What makes your game’s protagonist unforgettable? What’s your fresh take on a familiar genre? This document should be infused with the same energy and personality as the project itself. It’s not just about presenting information; it’s about selling a one-of-a-kind experience that only you can deliver.

How to Communicate Your Vision Effectively

You have a universe living in your head, a world brimming with characters and stories. But how do you get it onto the page and into the minds of potential partners? A pitch bible is your bridge. It’s more than a document; it’s a tool for translating your creative spark into a tangible, compelling vision that others can see, understand, and get excited about. Effectively communicating that vision is the first step toward getting your project funded and built. It’s about showing partners not just what your world is, but why it matters.

Use mood boards and strong visual storytelling

Words can only go so far. To truly immerse someone in your world, you need to show it to them. Visuals create an immediate emotional connection and convey tone faster than any paragraph can. Your pitch bible should be a feast for the eyes, using mood boards and concept art to establish your aesthetic. Include artwork, maps, or designs of important places. Add specific details that bring your world to life, even for everyday settings, like what music characters listen to or what cars they drive. This level of detail helps partners visualize the final product, whether it’s through stunning game environments or the virtual production techniques used in a blockbuster film.

Organize your ideas for a logical flow

A brilliant idea can get lost in a confusing presentation. The structure of your pitch bible should guide the reader on a clear and logical journey through your concept. A good general structure is to go from big ideas to smaller details: start with a high-level overview, then move into the first season or game-level progression, followed by deep dives into characters, locations, and potential episode or quest ideas. This organized approach shows that you’ve thought through your project from every angle. It builds confidence and makes it easy for potential partners to grasp the scope and depth of your world without feeling overwhelmed. A well-organized pitch bible is a sign of a professional and capable creator.

Define your unique voice and position

In a market full of ideas, your unique perspective is your greatest asset. Don't try to guess what people want; show your unique vision. Let your personality shine through in your descriptions, character voices, and overall tone. Partners aren't just investing in an IP; they're investing in the creator behind it. Your passion and distinct point of view are what will make your project stand out. This is your chance to demonstrate what makes your story different and why you are the only one who can tell it. A strong, authentic voice attracts partners who share your vision and are eager to help you build it through strategic development.

How to Structure Your Pitch Bible for Impact

The way you organize your pitch bible is just as important as the brilliant idea inside it. A confusing or poorly structured document can stop a great project in its tracks. Think of the structure as a guided tour of your world. You want to lead the reader logically from the big picture to the finer details, making it easy for them to understand your vision and get excited about its potential. A well-organized bible shows that you’re not just a creative, but also a professional who has thought through the execution.

The goal is to answer questions before they’re even asked and to build a compelling case for your project, step by step. By focusing on a clear and logical flow, you demonstrate respect for the reader's time and make their decision to partner with you that much easier. We’ll break down the essential components that create a powerful and persuasive structure.

Start with a strong hook and elevator pitch

Assume the person reading your bible knows nothing about your project. You have one page, maybe less, to grab their attention and make them want to keep reading. Start with a powerful logline—a one-sentence summary that captures the core conflict and essence of your story. Follow this with a short, compelling synopsis that works as your elevator pitch. This is your chance to introduce the world, the main characters, and the central stakes. Don’t get lost in the weeds here; this is all about creating immediate intrigue. A great elevator pitch makes the reader feel like they’ve stumbled upon something special.

Provide detailed breakdowns and supporting assets

Once you’ve hooked them, it’s time to prove you have the substance to back it up. This section is the heart of your bible, where you lay out the foundational elements of your world. For a show, this means detailed character profiles with motivations and arcs, season-long plot outlines, and breakdowns of key episodes. For a game, you’ll want to detail the core gameplay loop, character abilities, and level progression. The key is to show you have enough story and substance to sustain a full series or game. Studying successful series bibles can give you a fantastic sense of the depth executives are looking for.

Focus on professional formatting and presentation

Your pitch bible is a direct reflection of your professionalism. A clean, visually appealing, and easy-to-read document signals that you are organized and serious about your project. Use a clear hierarchy with headings and subheadings to guide the reader. Choose a clean font and use high-quality concept art, mood boards, and character sketches to bring your vision to life. The overall flow should move from the general to the specific: start with the high-level concept, then move into season or game-level details, and finally drill down into characters and individual episodes or mechanics. A polished presentation shows you care about the details, which builds confidence in your ability to execute.

Common Pitch Bible Mistakes to Avoid

Crafting a pitch bible is both an art and a science. While your creativity is the star, a few common missteps can prevent your project from getting the green light. The good news is that these are easy to fix once you know what to look for. Think of your pitch bible as the first impression your project makes—you want it to be clear, compelling, and confident. It’s the document that stands in for you in rooms you can’t get into, speaking for your world when you’re not there. Getting this document right means striking a delicate balance between artistic vision and commercial viability.

Partners and investors are looking for passion, but they’re also looking for a plan. They want to see that you’ve thought through not just the story, but the audience, the market, and the long-term potential of your intellectual property. A pitch bible that feels unfocused or incomplete can suggest that the project itself is underdeveloped. On the other hand, a polished, professional bible that anticipates and answers key questions builds immediate trust. It shows that you respect the reader's time and understand what it takes to turn a great idea into a successful product. The following mistakes are the most common ones we see, but they're also the most preventable. By steering clear of them, you put your project in the strongest possible position to succeed.

Adding too many unnecessary details

It’s tempting to pour every single idea you have into your pitch bible. You’ve lived with this world for months, maybe years, and you want to show off its depth. But remember, the person reading your bible is coming in cold. As writer Britta Buescher notes, "Those who will be viewing your bible have no idea" about your world, so you need to start at the very beginning. Overloading them with dense lore, minor character backstories, or overly complex mechanics can obscure the core concept. Focus on the essential information that sells the idea. A strong transmedia strategy is about clarity and impact, not overwhelming detail. Keep it concise and leave them wanting more.

Presenting weak characters or story foundations

Your characters are the heart of your story, and your plot is the backbone. If either is underdeveloped, your pitch will fall flat. Generic character descriptions won't capture anyone's imagination; give your characters flaws, unique motivations, and compelling arcs. Similarly, your story needs legs. Executives are looking for IPs that can sustain a full series or a game franchise. As ScreenCraft points out, a common problem is not offering "enough story and character arcs to warrant a full series." Show that your world has room to grow and that your characters are dynamic enough to carry audiences through multiple installments, much like the iconic figures in the Star Wars universe.

Ignoring your audience and market realities

A brilliant creative idea is only half the battle. You also need to prove it’s a viable product. Who is this game or show for? What makes it unique in the current market? Failing to define your target audience and demonstrate a clear market fit is a major red flag for investors and studio executives. They need to see a path to profitability and understand how your project will connect with viewers or players. You should show that you’ve considered the long-term potential, including how the IP could expand into future seasons, sequels, or spin-offs. Your pitch bible must build confidence not just in your creative vision, but in your understanding of the business of entertainment.

Why a Pitch Bible Is Your Key to Transmedia Success

A pitch bible is more than just a document; it’s the strategic foundation for your entire transmedia universe. Think of it as the master plan that not only sells your vision but also guides its creation across every platform. For IP holders looking to expand their worlds, a well-crafted pitch bible is the single most important tool for turning a great idea into a sprawling, interconnected franchise. It’s what separates a one-off hit from a lasting cultural phenomenon and gives your IP the legs to run across games, film, and beyond.

This document is your north star for creative decisions, your sales pitch for securing partnerships, and your rulebook for maintaining consistency. It ensures that every extension of your world—from a streaming series to a mobile game—feels authentic and connected. Without it, you risk a fragmented experience that confuses audiences and dilutes your brand. With a strong pitch bible, you create a powerful, unified ecosystem that can grow and evolve for years to come. It’s the core of a successful transmedia strategy that builds value and deepens audience connection with every new release.

Secure funding and find the right partners

Your pitch bible is your ultimate sales tool. It translates your creative passion into a tangible business proposal that investors and studio executives can understand and get excited about. When you walk into a meeting, this document proves you’ve done your homework. It clearly outlines the story, characters, world, and, most importantly, the market potential of your IP. A comprehensive bible shows partners that you have a clear vision and a concrete plan for execution. It answers their biggest questions before they even ask them: Who is the audience? What makes this world unique? How will it generate revenue across different platforms? By presenting a polished, professional pitch bible, you demonstrate that you’re a serious creator ready for a strategic partnership, making it much easier to get that crucial green light.

Align creative and development teams

Once your project is funded, the pitch bible transitions into its next role: the single source of truth for everyone involved. In a transmedia project, you’ll have writers, artists, game developers, and marketers all working on different pieces of the same universe. The bible is what keeps them all on the same page, ensuring the story, characters, and world remain consistent no matter the medium. This document acts as a "walking bible" for the entire production. If a game developer needs to know a character’s core motivation or a writer for a comic book needs to understand the established lore, they turn to the bible. This alignment prevents costly mistakes and creative contradictions, ensuring that every piece of content feels like a natural extension of the core IP, just as seen in the expansive Star Wars universe.

Build a cohesive entertainment world

A truly immersive transmedia experience relies on a cohesive world that feels real and lived-in. Your pitch bible is the architectural blueprint for that world. It establishes the fundamental rules, history, and tone that will define every story told within it. This narrative backbone ensures that whether an audience member is watching a show, playing a game, or reading a comic, they are exploring the same rich, consistent universe. This cohesion is what builds deep, lasting engagement. When fans feel that every detail is intentional and every story matters, they become more invested in your IP. The bible provides the guidelines necessary to maintain that consistency and depth, allowing different creative teams to build upon the world without breaking it. It’s the key to creating an expansive storytelling project where every new entry enriches the whole.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long should my pitch bible be? There isn't a magic page count, but the goal is always clarity over quantity. A good pitch bible is typically between 15 and 50 pages. The key is to provide enough detail to prove your world is rich and your story has longevity, without overwhelming the reader with information they don't need yet. Focus on making a powerful case for the core concept, characters, and first season or game experience. If an executive is excited after 20 pages, you've done your job.

What’s the real difference between a pitch bible and a script? Think of it this way: a script tells a single, complete story from beginning to end. A pitch bible sells the entire world where countless stories could take place. The script is the proof of concept, showing you can execute a compelling narrative. The bible is the business plan, proving that the universe is expansive enough to support a multi-season show or a game franchise. You often need both, but they serve very different purposes in convincing someone to invest in your vision.

Do I need professional, high-end concept art to make a good impression? While stunning artwork is always a plus, you don't need a blockbuster budget to communicate your vision effectively. The goal of the visual section is to establish a clear and consistent tone and aesthetic. Well-curated mood boards, reference images from other media, and even clean sketches can be incredibly effective. What matters most is that your visuals align with the world you're describing and give the reader a strong sense of its look and feel.

For a transmedia project, should I create one giant bible or separate ones for the game and show? The most effective approach is to create a core "world bible" that acts as the single source of truth for your entire intellectual property. This document establishes the essential lore, character backstories, and fundamental rules of the universe. Then, you can create smaller, dedicated sections or companion documents that detail how that world is specifically expressed in each medium—one focusing on the show's seasonal arcs and another on the game's core mechanics and player experience. This shows a unified vision with a clear, platform-specific execution plan.

Is a pitch bible a final, unchangeable document? Not at all. Think of your pitch bible as a foundational blueprint, not a rigid set of instructions carved in stone. It needs to be solid and comprehensive enough to sell your vision and align your initial team. However, it's also a living document that will naturally evolve as you collaborate with producers, developers, and other partners. The best creative projects are born from collaboration, and your bible is the starting point for that conversation.