It feels like an age since we began hosting online digital pitches in response to the global situation.

However, despite the circumstances that necessitated this move, these pitches have gone from strength to strength, allowing us to host an ever-increasing range of diverse brand new gaming experiences from some of the world's most exciting indie developers.

Normally at this time of year, The Big Indie Pitch would have been returning to Helsinki for Pocket Gamer Connects and what is always one of the biggest and most exciting Big Indie Pitches of the year.

Nevertheless, not letting the current situation hold us back, instead, we hosted a Helsinki takeover edition of Pocket Gamer Connects Digital in order to highlight the best and brightest indie developers we can both discover.

Of course, it goes without saying that we also need to thank our amazing event sponsors SuperSonic, Jam City and Plug In Digital, alongside our season sponsors Kwalee and G-Star, who not only offered their expertise on the judging panel but also helped make this happen at a time when we could all do with a little boost. 

Entries were once again at record numbers, and as such there was a high amount of quality, and a lot of competition just to make it to the pitching area.

This meant that we were still able to highlight 14 of the most exciting indie developers from all over the world to showcase their latest works to some of our most established judges and journalists.

Given the amazing talent, we had just waiting for an opportunity, there was not only an abundance of amazing games, but lots of feedback from the judges, and an equal amount of positivity in the voting.

In fact, this pitch's voting was some of the most spread out we had seen in a long time. A true testament to the amount of talent. Nevertheless, the judges did, in the end, settle on a top three, and a winner. That winner was the returning Puzzles & Games who came back with their game new game ICON (1 word) and this time took home the crown.

For those not in the know, The Big Indie Pitch is a regular event run by the makers of PocketGamer.biz. It gives indie developers the chance to pitch their games to industry experts and journalists in a speed-dating-style format. Teams get the opportunity to get valuable feedback on their games, as well as win great prizes such as promotional packages and opportunities to promote their game.

Of course, ICON (1 word), as you already know, was the winner, but if you want to learn more about not only Project Haven, but also our runners-up and honourable mention from The Digital Big Indie Pitch at Pocket Gamer Connects Digital #3 Helsinki (Mobile Edition), then simply read on.

1st Place - ICON (1 word) by Puzzles & Games

A simplified version of Puzzles & Games' former game known simply as ICON, this simplified version takes the idea of the words search and turns it on its head. As such, in this hyper-casual puzzler players are faced with a grid of icons, all of which represent a letter. In this case the first letter of the word displayed in the picture. Once players have worked this out, they must then use the puzzle in front of them to locate a range of words displayed on the bottom of the screen by swiping horizontally, vertically or diagonally.

Through doing this, players can take on more than 1000 different levels whilst collecting coins and completing challenges based on finding words using specific icons. It sounds simple, but it's extremely challenging whilst also being incredibly fun and welcoming.

2nd Place - Eldritch Coven by Timba

In Eldritch Coven players must raise a secretive and sinister cult all of their own. Of course, the cult doesn't necessarily have to be sinister, but with all of the world's Unholy Power at stake, who can resist the dark side?

Just how do you achieve this though? Well, through a range of idle and active mechanics, you'll be able to gather influence to complete full rituals and summon eldritch beings from the darkest of dimensions. This will in turn grow not only your ranks but your power and resources too. From here you can then upgrade your secret lair and your ability to take over the world even quicker with it.

3rd Place - Gravity Shooter / Dungun by Smash Head Studio

Gravity Shooter is a fast and frantic 2D roguelite action game. Yes, you may think that sounds like a lot of other games on the market, but Gravity Shooter offers a new take on not only movement but the combat mechanics too. Namely the fact that your movement is not controlled the movement of your character, but rather the movement of your gun. 

Therefore, thanks to this new and interesting mechanic you'll have to manage and maintain careful movement, whilst also dodging enemy bullets and taking enemies down too. It's a game that's very easy to pick up, whilst offering challenge and variety at the same time. The game is still in development, so expect to see even more stages, weapons and enemies added to the game before the planned release later this year.

Want to show off your exciting new game? We host Big Indie Pitch events throughout the year, so be sure to keep an eye on our events page for an event near you.

Upcoming Big Indie Pitch Event Pages & Registration

October 14 - The Big Indie Pitch Digital #4 (Mobile Edition)
November 10 - The Big Indie Pitch (PC+Console Edition) at Pocket Gamer Connects Digital #4
November 11 - The Big Indie Pitch (Mobile Edition) at Pocket Gamer Connects Digital #4

More coming soon so make sure to regularly check our upcoming events page here and over on BigIndiePitch.com.