Over the years, I’ve seen my fair share of trailer briefs. Some were spot on—clear, concise, and full of inspiration. Others, well… let’s just say they left a lot to the imagination, and not in a good way.
The thing is, a trailer isn’t just a collection of cool shots, nor is it simply a marketing KPI. It’s a piece of storytelling, a marketing tool, and—when done right—an emotional hook that stays with players long after they’ve watched it.
For a creative agency and animation studio like ours, a strong brief makes all the difference. It ensures that everyone—developers, publishers, marketers, creatives, and production teams—is aligned from day one. It keeps things moving smoothly, avoids unnecessary revisions, and ultimately leads to a better trailer.
But above all, it can be the tasty beginnings of wonderfully effective ideas.
So, if you’re working with an agency to create a game trailer, here’s what you should include to make sure the end result truly represents your game, delivers, and ultimately resonates with your audience.
First and foremost, we need to understand what makes your game unique.
• What’s the elevator pitch?
• What’s the core gameplay hook?
• Who is the target audience?
• What platform is it launching on, and when?
Without this foundation, it’s impossible to shape a trailer that feels authentic to your game. If you’re struggling to define it yourself, that’s usually a sign you need to refine your marketing message before jumping into trailer production.
Not all trailers serve the same purpose. Some are about hype and impact, others about depth and world-building. If we don’t know the goal from the start, we’re shooting in the dark.
Are we making a:
• Reveal trailer – Building mystery and anticipation?
• Gameplay showcase – Giving players a real feel for mechanics?
• Cinematic story trailer – Selling the world and characters?
• Launch trailer – A final push to get people playing?
Each of these demands a different creative approach. A gameplay trailer is paced differently from a cinematic teaser, and a launch trailer is very different from a story-driven one.
I always ask one question at the start of any trailer project:
How should people feel after watching this? (often referred to as the single-minded thought or key emotional takeaway) Should they be hyped? Curious? Nostalgic? Excited? A great trailer is an emotional experience first, an information dump second. If you don’t define this upfront, you risk ending up with a trailer that looks great but lacks any real impact.
If there are absolutely essential things that need to be in the trailer—major story beats, gameplay mechanics, characters, locations—these should be in the brief.
But here’s a word of warning: Don’t just list every cool thing in the game.
The best trailers aren’t a checklist of features, they’re a curated experience. We need the right balance of information and intrigue. If you try to cram too much in, the end result will be overwhelming, and worse—it’ll lack focus.
More importantly, if you really want the best out of your brief, it should be structured as a:
• Must-have list
• Would-like list
• If-possible list
Too often, we’re handed an impossible list of things to include. A game’s launch and beats are like a buffet—yes, you might want a bit of everything, but not all on one plate at once. Courses, people! Courses.
This is where things get really interesting. How should the trailer feel visually and tonally?
Are we aiming for something:
• Cinematic and dramatic? (The Last of Us trailers)
• Fast-paced and energetic? (DOOM, Call of Duty)
• Mysterious and moody? (Dark Souls, Bloodborne)
• Stylized and quirky? (Hi-Fi Rush, Persona)
If you’ve got reference trailers that capture the feeling you’re after, include them. Even if they’re from films or TV rather than games, that’s super useful direction for teams like ours. If you’ve seen something you love, share it!
Music makes or breaks a trailer. I can’t count the number of times I’ve seen an otherwise great trailer completely fall apart because the music wasn’t right.
• Should the trailer have a licensed track, a custom score, or adaptive music that builds with the trailer’s beats?
• What about sound design? Should it feel raw and immersive, or should we lean into a more stylized, rhythmic approach?
It sounds obvious, but what’s the final message?
• Do we want players to wishlist the game, pre-order, join a beta, or simply stay engaged?
Whatever it is, it needs to be clear. If your trailer ends on a fade-out with no direction, you’re wasting a huge opportunity.
This part isn’t exciting, especially for creatives like us, but it’s crucial to a smooth production process.
• Deadlines: When is the trailer launching?
• Deliverables: Do you need multiple formats (YouTube, TikTok, Steam, social media versions)?
• Technical specs: Resolution, aspect ratio, frame rate?
• Revision rounds: How much time is allocated for feedback and iterations?
A clear schedule and approval process helps avoid last-minute chaos and ensures the trailer is polished when it matters most.
Look, I get it—no one wants to talk about money. There’s nothing more frustrating than the “How much would this cost?” vs. “How much are you willing to spend?” back-and-forth.
But here’s the thing: setting expectations early is crucial—and that starts with being upfront about budget.
I’ve lost count of how many times someone will throw in a high-end AAA cinematic as inspiration and their 'target quality', but the budget is more in line with an indie in-engine trailer. That’s not to say incredible things can’t be done on smaller budgets—they absolutely can—but what kills momentum and wastes time is when this disconnect isn’t addressed early.
If you state your budget upfront, everyone wins. It allows us to craft the best possible trailer within realistic parameters rather than spending weeks developing ideas that can’t be executed. The most creative and efficient solutions come when we all know what we’re working with from day one.
So let’s skip the awkward dance and get to focus on what matters—making an incredible trailer that fits your vision and budget.
At the end of the day, a trailer brief is about setting the foundation for insights and ideas to become great storytelling. The clearer the information, the better we can translate it into something that resonates with players.
A great trailer doesn’t just sell a game, it makes people feel something—and that starts with a clear, focused brief. If you’re thinking about a trailer for your game, take the time to put together a solid brief. Or better yet—let’s talk, and we’ll help you shape it.
Please do not hesitate to reach out to me at dutch@rabbitsfootstudios.se or Sara our Head of Production sara.sundgren@rabbitsfootstudios.se
