What Disneyland’s Original Pitch Can Teach Game Developers About Memorable Pitches

In 1953, Walt Disney set out to pitch an idea that sounded absurd at the time—a theme park (link to the pdf in comments). Not just any theme park, but one that was immersive, magical, and completely unlike anything the world had seen. The brilliance of his pitch lies in its ability to make you feel something. It wasn’t just about rides and attractions; it was about joy, nostalgia, wonder, and the promise of shared experiences.

I think this is missing in how game companies pitch new projects today to funders or publishers.

Walt didn’t lead with financials or feasibility—he started with a vision. He described Disneyland as a place “for the people of the world, and children of all ages,” where visitors could step into another world, leaving the ordinary behind. It’s this ability to inspire emotion that made his pitch unforgettable. When pitching a game, I want you to make me feel the same energy. What’s do you make me feel? What’s the promise you’re making to players?

But Walt didn’t stop there. He brought his vision to life with vivid, tangible details. He didn’t just say “there will be rides”; he painted pictures of taking a steam train around Main Street, flying with Peter Pan, or exploring Tomorrowland’s futuristic wonders. You could practically hear the train whistle and feel the wind on your face. For games, this means diving into the player’s journey. How will they feel as they explore your world, engage with your mechanics, and uncover your story? A great pitch lets people imagine playing the game before it even exists.

What made Walt’s pitch genius wasn’t just the dream he sold—it was the way he made it feel real and inevitable. He blended creativity and strategy, showing how Disneyland wasn’t just a park but an entire ecosystem of experiences, merchandise, and long-term growth. For game pitches, this means thinking beyond launch. What’s your game’s staying power? How does it evolve into a franchise, a community, or even a cultural moment?

At its core, Walt’s pitch worked because it resonated emotionally. It made people believe not just in an idea, but in the possibility of something extraordinary. For game developers, that’s the key. A pitch should inspire, excite, and leave funders with one overwhelming thought: This has to happen.

I have been in two game pitches in my career that I left with “This has to happen”. One was an early vision of a bank robbery game where the team literally dropped a bag of $10,000 in cash on the table before they started…. You could smell the money. And the other ended up being Bioshock.