"I literally built an investment firm that wouldn't have funded my own pitch" – Why the money isn't reaching the games that need it
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A workshop at Madeira Games Summit revealed a fundamental disconnect between how game developers pitch and how investors evaluate opportunities. When participants were asked to design investment funds with $1 million, almost none allocated capital to traditional game content — favoring tools, infrastructure, and platforms like Roblox instead. Key insights include a language gap (developers lead with creative vision; investors demand return structures), the importance of sequencing pitches strategically over 9-12 months, and the need to explicitly address return expectations and timelines upfront. Recommendations include researching fund remits before pitching, talking directly with fund managers, and advocating for game-specific fund structures like revenue-share models and three-game deal structures.
