greenlit

Greenlit is the past participle and adjective form of the verb greenlight, meaning to grant formal approval or permission to proceed with a project. The term originates from traffic signals, where a green light signals go. In industry usage, a project is said to be greenlit when funding, resources, and official authorization have been approved, allowing development or production to begin. It is commonly used in entertainment, publishing, and corporate project management.

In film and television, a greenlight signals that executives have reviewed the script or concept, secured financing, and committed to production. The greenlight triggers scheduling, hiring, and the allocation of budgets and logistics. Depending on the project, there may be multiple greenlights at different stages—development, pre-production, and production—each corresponding to further commitments and milestone checks.

In video games, a greenlight means a publisher or platform has approved the game's development for release. The term gained prominence with Steam Greenlight (2012–2017), a system in which community votes helped determine which titles could appear on the Steam storefront. After Steam Direct replaced it, the general idea of a game being “greenlit” remained a shorthand for formal approval to proceed.

Beyond media, greenlighting is used in business and government to denote formal permission to begin a project, product launch, or policy initiative. The specifics of the process depend on organizational structure, but the core concept remains the same: a go-ahead signal that authorizes resources and timelines to move forward.