Anticode Open builder

A game studio website that sends players to the store and gives press what they need

Players visit a game studio website to see the game, watch the trailer and find where to buy or wishlist it. Journalists and streamers come for a press kit. A good indie game studio website gives both what they need in seconds, and quietly grows a mailing list for the next launch.

Updated · By the Anticode team

One page per game

Keep games in a CMS collection, so each has its own page at an address you can put in a trailer description or a festival programme. On each game page, in this order:

  1. The name and a one-line pitch: genre, hook and setting in a sentence.
  2. Store buttons: Steam, the console stores, itch.io, the mobile app stores, with "Wishlist" wording before launch. Use each store's own button artwork only as their guidelines allow.
  3. The trailer, linked: published Anticode pages can't embed YouTube or other players, so use a strong still with a clear "Watch the trailer" link.
  4. Screenshots, four to eight, captured from the real game at the resolution you'd show press.
  5. Key features, three to five lines, specific to the game.
  6. Platforms, release date or window, price if set, languages, and age rating once you have it.

Upload your own screenshots and key art; the model sees images and places them, and the design gate checks alt text. Write alt text that describes what's happening on screen, which helps players who use screen readers and search engines alike.

The press kit

Journalists, streamers and festival programmers want facts and assets without emailing you. A press kit page per game should hold:

Fact sheet
Developer, publisher, release date, platforms, price, website, social links, a press contact.
Description
A short and a long description they can quote.
History
How the game came about, in a paragraph.
Assets
Logo, key art, screenshots and GIFs, linked as a downloadable archive hosted wherever you keep files. The CMS holds text and links rather than file uploads.
Video
Links to trailers and gameplay footage, with your policy on streaming and monetised videos.
Team and awards
Who made it, and any festival selections, stated as facts.

See press kit website for a full layout.

The mailing list is the real asset

Store algorithms and social platforms change; a list of players who asked to hear from you doesn't. Put a newsletter sign-up form (it asks only for an email) on every game page and the home page, say what people will get ("launch day, the beta and nothing else"), and send sign-ups to Mailchimp or Kit with a connector. Mailchimp uses double opt-in. For a beta or playtest, a custom form can ask for platform, hardware and the genres they play; see beta tester sign-up page.

Studio, careers and contact

  • About: who you are, where you're based, what kind of games you make.
  • Careers: open roles as CMS entries, with how to apply. Forms don't take file uploads, so ask for a portfolio link and CV by email.
  • Contact: separate routes for press, business and player support, so support requests don't bury publisher emails. Connectors receive every submission, tagged with the site's name, so to split press, business and support into their own channels, use a webhook that routes by form.

Should the website be playable?

Anticode also builds browser games as apps: one HTML file running in a sandbox with no network, saving to the player's own browser. That's handy for a small promotional mini-game or a jam prototype linked from the site, but it's not a way to ship your real game, and it can't connect to your servers, leaderboards or accounts. See browser game maker.

Design that feels like the game

The site should look like it belongs to the game, within limits: one font family and one action colour per site keeps it readable. Dark theme with Brutalist (Archivo) or Technical (IBM Plex Sans) suits most indie games; Playful (Fredoka) suits cosy and family titles. Avoid autoplaying effects and full-screen video heroes; design-engine pages run no scripts, which keeps them fast for players on any device.

Limits

  • No embedded trailers, store widgets or Discord widgets; link to them.
  • No game sales or keys from the site; players buy on the stores.
  • No player accounts, forums or leaderboards.
  • No file hosting for press kit downloads; link to an archive.

Questions people ask

Can I embed my game trailer on an Anticode site?

No. Published pages block embeds. Show a still with a clear link to the trailer on your video host.

What goes in a game press kit page?

A fact sheet, short and long descriptions, a little history, links to logos, art and screenshots, trailer links and a press contact.

How do I build a mailing list for launch?

Add the newsletter form to each game page and send sign-ups to Mailchimp or Kit with a connector.