What developers can learn from last night's The Apprentice
James Batchelor
Editor-in-Chief
Friday 4th February 2022
The UK version of The Apprentice aired its latest episode last night, challenging the candidate with something very much in the wheelhouse of GamesIndustry.biz readers: making video games.
Split into two teams, the eleven contestants had to come up with a game concept, which was then developed into a playable demo. The teams also had to create their own branding and a promotional video.
After getting feedback from a playtesting event held in Central London, with selected consumers trying out the games for themselves, the teams had to then pitch their games to real investors:
No pressure, then.
Left to right: Mark Morris, Roberta Lucca and Ian Livingstone judged the episode's game pitches
The investor Q&A makes up less than five minutes of the hour-long episode, but nevertheless there are lessons to be learned from their reactions to the contestants' pitches. The GamesIndustry.biz Academy also reached out to Livingstone and Lucca for additional advice for any developers preparing to make similar presentations.
First, let's take a look at the games.
The first team pitched a 3D stealth action adventure that put players in the orange prison jumpsuit of Emilia Stone, an FBI agent who had been framed for leaking secrets and is trying to escape.
The game was called Time, due to her 'doing time' and the fact there is a time limit to clear each floor by finding keys, subduing guards and other prisoners, and collecting information on the mysterious person helping her escape.
The team positioned Stone as a "strong female protagonist," to which Lucca's first question was: "If she's dressed the same way as everyone else in the game, does that make her stand out?" Something to bear in
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