The Big Indie Pitch sees indie developers engage in a speed-dating-styled pitching competition for fame and glory as well as a whole bunch of amazing promotional prizes! It’s a fun but hotly contested event that has proved a genuine game-changer for teams in the past.

At the event, every pitching team gets three minutes to state their case, and face one minute of Q&A with each of our expert judges. Once every team has pitched to every judge, pitching is over. The judges go off to deliberate and the winners are announced.

By participating, developers can gain invaluable feedback, showcase their work to a wider audience and potentially win fantastic prizes that can help them take their project to the next level. All this is completely free of charge.

We have a number of competitions coming up that will be taking place both online and at our in-person London conference this February, Pocket Gamer Connects London 2022. Read on to find out more, and don’t wait to sign up! The deadline for entries is this upcoming Monday, January 10th and the actual pitches will be taking place virtually on January 18th and January 19th.

The Digital Indie Pitch for Mobile Games
Date: January 18th

Our all-digital Big Indie Pitch offers shortlisted developers a chance to impress some of the best experts the industry has to offer (including journalists, publishers, investors, and notable indies), answer questions and gather expert insight on their game. Without leaving your home or office…

Our unique speed dating format gives each developer 5 minutes with each panel of expert judges, meaning entrants will get real feedback from the event. The winners will also be covered across Steel Media’s network of websites (such as Pocket Gamer and PC Games Insider), making this a great chance to get your game up in lights.

The basic criteria:

• You can pitch games for Mobile, VR, AR
• You can pitch your game even if you’ve pitched it at a previous BIP
• We prefer to see unreleased games, though we’re happy to see games that are out too
• We allow studios with a max of 12 members to enter the Big Indie Pitch (this includes the staff of any partners you are working with)

The Digital Indie Pitch for PC + Console Games
Date: January 19th

Our all-digital Big Indie Pitch offers shortlisted developers a chance to impress some of the best experts the industry has to offer (including journalists, publishers, investors, and notable indies), answer questions and gather expert insight on their game. Without leaving your home or office…

Our unique speed dating format gives each developer 5 minutes with each panel of expert judges, meaning entrants will get real feedback from the event. The winners will also be covered across Steel Media’s network of websites (such as Pocket Gamer and PC Games Insider), making this a great chance to get your game up in lights.

The basic criteria:

• You can pitch games for Switch, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC, Mac and Linux
• You can pitch your game even if you’ve pitched it at a previous BIP
• We prefer to see unreleased games, though we’re happy to see games that are out too
• We allow studios with a max of 12 members to enter the Big Indie Pitch (this includes the staff of any partners you are working with)

Feedback from past participants

There is no better way to gauge what you can gain from joining the Pitch than to hear from past participants themselves. We have compiled some feedback from our amazing participants from past years so you can have a better idea of what you can expect from the event.

"It's a great way to focus on what's most important in my game. I get excited about Unnatural Disaster, so it's easy to go on about it. But the pitch lasts just 5 minutes. I had to jump right in with the pillars of my game, what makes it stand out, and highlight the most compelling parts. Which is coincidentally exactly what you need for good marketing! And on the subject of honest feedback, it's hard to beat a Shark Tank full of video game publishers.

I've done the Big Indie Pitch twice now, and meeting the other developers in the waiting room was a highlight both times. The first time we ended up introduced to a bunch of devs we didn't know right in our own backyard. The second became an impromptu game trailer review, with everyone sharing their videos and suggesting improvements. It was really insightful!"

- Kevin Tarchenski, Rumor Games - 1st place at The Digital Big Indie Pitch #3 (Mobile)

"There's an intrinsically satisfying quality to having your work judged. When I'm working through a marathon sprint, I'm hyper-critical of my work and often worry about whether or not it's good enough.

It's validating to receive feedback, to be recognised by industry experts, to feel that your work creates the kind of impact that you intended. It's also valuable to get realistic calibrations from the judges on what I should expect and what I should consider doing to improve."

- Ross Przybylski, D20Studios, 3rd place at The Digital Big Indie Pitch #7 (Mobile Edition)

"Aside from building Miracle Tea’s pitching mileage, morale and confidence in our game. Big Indie Pitch has already opened up a handful of opportunities with publishers and press. We got put in contact with the charity organisation Safe In Our World who’s currently writing us a piece on Ruya and Alula as a result of a meeting we had from the PGC Digital #4 event in early November. This wouldn’t have happened without Big Indie Pitch so thank you! Beyond this, we still hope to gain contact with potential platforms and investors to help grow further support for Alula and see us launch on time.”

- Bradley Smith, Miracle Tea, 1st place at The Digital Big Indie Pitch #4 (Mobile Edition)

Submit your game

Fancy getting yourself signed up for this incredible fully digital opportunity? Don’t miss out! Get yourself signed up for either the Mobile or PC + Console options, go here. Keep in mind that the closing date for entries is this upcoming Monday, 10th January 2022.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch with the Big Indie Pitch Manager Sophia Aubrey Drake.

Looking for the live conference buzz?

There is nothing quite like being surrounded by games professionals live and in the flesh. The pure adrenaline and excitement of showcasing your game face-to-face with expert judges, other incredible talent from around the globe and the very best of the games industry around you all at once. Don’t miss out on the unparalleled opportunity to make organic connections, have chance encounters with life-changing colleagues and enjoy the thrill of our flagship live PG Connects events.

If you would like to instead submit your game for our live Very Big Indie Pitch taking place at our upcoming London conference in February (it is also available for both mobile and PC + Console games) and take advantage of the fantastic networking opportunities, don’t miss signing up as soon as you can.

If you want to learn more about all the opportunities available for developers at PG Connects London 2022, read all about the 8 reasons why it’s the place to be for indie developers this 2022.