How to Make a Video Game Trailer that Excites and Engages Your Audience?

Your video game is ready for launch and it’s time to let the world know how enthralling and rocking your game is. One of the best ways to kindle interest in people and entice them to try out your game is to show them an engaging and exciting preview of your video game.  The reason why a video game trailer is referred to as a highly effective marketing asset is the fact that it gives people a sense of what your video game is about and how it feels. And, if your video game trailer has the spark to drive emotion and interest, you have a very good chance to turn viewers into players.

Read this blog to know what all important aspects you must cover to create a video game trailer that fills your target audience with awe.

How to Create a Captivating Video Game Trailer

Keep it Short

The ideal length of a game trailer shouldn’t be more than two to three minutes. Keeping your video game trailer short allows you to exclude unnecessary content and make the trailer look simple and to the point.

Besides, a short trailer doesn’t overwhelm viewers with too much information, making it interesting and exciting by teasing them with what they’ve seen is only a glimpse of what’s to come. Leaving a room for imagination and mystery is a real good way to coax viewers to look for more and check out your game.

For example, watch the trailer of Clash of Clans: Hog Rider 360°

Create a Storyboard Beforehand

You should plan and create a storyboard beforehand in order to have a basic structure of the trailer. Creating a storyboard before your start recording helps answer important questions, like which scenes of gameplay would look interesting and gripping to viewers? What story the video game trailer is going to tell viewers? What’s the strength of the title?

Your video game trailer should be like a short story with a beginning, middle and end. Spending time on storyboarding beforehand is like creating a first prototype before jumping on to production, making you more efficient and giving clarity over what exactly the final product should look like.

Watch the trailer of Beyond Good & Evil 2 for good reference.

Also read why game developers in India are preferred for game development outsourcing.

Create an Intro that Grabs Attention

The first few seconds of your video game trailer decide its fate. So, the intro of your trailer must be short and attention grabbing, which can impel viewers to watch the rest of the entire video. If the intro of your game trailer is drab or vapid, viewers will not care to watch any further, resulting into loss of players, and therefore loss of revenue.

For the intro part, consider introducing a title and story line that sets your game apart. If players already know about your game, you can directly jump to the gameplay to unravel new aspects of the gameplay. A short animated sequence consisting of remixed cutscenes could also be the key to tell an interesting story.

One good example is the trailer of Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle.

Record High Quality Gameplay Footage

Your video game trailer must tell viewers what your game is all about and how it feels. So, the duration between the intro and call to action should be gameplay related. You should not also shy away from showing in-game footage as it helps people see what exactly they are looking for in your video game trailer. Use a good quality screen recorder to record the gameplay.

You can also pick different sections of the game and present a story that viewers find sensible. The narrative of your video game should leave viewers wondering or anticipating what will happen next.

Among other things that you can do to make your gameplay part in the trailer look attractive and appealing is to add zooms, lens-effects, freeze-frame and slow-motions. Doing so, you can give viewers the feel of cinematographic effects similar to what they watch in movie trailers. But, you should not over edit as the quality and tone of your trailer must match your game.

Watch the trailer of Star Wars Battlefront 2 below.

Use Sound Effects or Music to Set the Mood

Since your video game trailer has visuals, adding an engaging soundtrack and sound effects could prove to be the icing on the cake. Music helps build pace and excitement in viewers and drives emotion. The background music in your video game trailer should match your game and help you structure the story as desired. So, you can go for running soundtrack or synched soundtrack based on what type your game is.

For example, watch the trailer of Shadow Fight 3.

Include a Call to Action Button

Always end your game trailer video with a call to action as it helps viewers see where they can play, download, purchase or learn more about your video game. Call to action is the next step to turn your viewers into players, therefore must be added at the end of your video game trailer.

Grab a look at the trailer of Assassin's Creed Origins below.

Use Animated Text and Not More than 5 or 6 Words Long

The best way to convey what makes your game great and stand out is to use short expressions, not more than 5 or 6 words long. For example, phrases like “Forge your own path” and “Unleash the might of charms” in the trailer of Hollow Knight have been effectively used to fuel interest in viewers to play the game.

You can make the visual style of the text impactful by using animation. However, the text must match your game. You can use Photoshop or Affinity Designer to style the text.

For example, watch the trailer of Hollow Knight below:

Add Reviews

It’s always a good idea to create a hype around your game and build trust in players by adding positive reviews in your video game trailer, if you have them. So, trying getting good reviews from reputable outlets early on. And if your able to get positive reviews from reliable reviewers like IGN or Gamespot, they are worth sharing. When your game trailer quotes renowned reviewers giving 9 out of 10 or 10 out of 10 to your video game, the likelihood of viewers to download or buy you game increases by many folds.

Have a look at the trailer of Resonance below for a good reference.

Don’t Rush Your Video Game Trailer

It’s not a good idea to edit as you go and keep switching between editing and recording. Editing is a great art work and takes time. So if you have a release in July, start your trailer three to four weeks prior. First collect all the resources, like music, footage, pictures, and then edit. Record more than what you think would be suffice as it gives your the freedom to select the best shots later for your game trailer. If you have not done video editing before, you can go for a game production and art creation studio to get it done from experts.

Watch the trailer of Super Mario Odyssey.

Sharing of video game trailers on social media networks and via other mediums plays a crucial role in reaching out to your target audience and have them heard about your amazing creation. But, in order to have your game trailer pay off, it must engage and excite viewers. Using the tips discussed above to create a impactful game trailer, you can bring success to your video game.

If you have any query related to video game trailer creation or looking for a game development company for hire, please write to us at enquiry@logicsimplified.com, and we will get back to you shorty to answer all your queries that will help you take your game or game idea forward.