How pitching competitions support indie developers

• Opportunities like the Big Indie Pitch help indie developers refine their pitching skills, offering instant feedback, industry visibility and potential media coverage.

Pitching is an art, and whether or not you nail it, it’s crucial in order to succeed in any market, not least the games industry.

For indie developers, whose main focus is making great games, pitching can easily become an overwhelming task positioned at the bottom of a long to-do list. However, paying attention to how to master this skill, how to move from pitch to partnership, can be what makes the difference between a work-in-progress and a game's launch.

To support indies in the early stage of their new builds, pitching competitions like the Big Indie Pitch, hosted within Pocket Gamer Connects’ global conferences, provide a genuine opportunity for expert-led feedback, helping you decide what to keep, what to perfect, and what to scrap as your title develops.

Five-minute pitch

Essentially, you are given five minutes during which to talk about your game in front of industry representatives. In return, you will get instant feedback, a more thorough assessment emailed to you after the event, as well as the exciting prospect of potential press coverage and even a prize if you make it to the podium.

“The big indie pitch gave us helpful feedback from publishers, journalists and evangelists, and formed lasting, meaningful connections. That would have been near impossible without this opportunity,” commented Kati Nawrocki, the founder of Computer Lunch Games.

In terms of the visibility boost developers may gain through press coverage, Amy Dallas, the CEO at ClutchPlay Games, described the opportunity as “hands-down the single most important pre-launch event that we participated in this past year.” 

Turn up prepared

Although this quick-fire pitching opportunity isn’t your final make-or-break moment, it’s useful to turn up thoroughly prepared. Pitching can be intimidating, but it will be a lot easier if you have done the groundwork and have a good grasp of what to include. 

Experts recommend adding plenty of visuals and playable builds, even if they’re in an early stage. Knowing your audience, monetisation strategy and budget constraints is also advisable, but most importantly, is to keep all attention on the game itself, avoiding talking about yourself, as this will help the judges evaluate the actual product.

The art of pitching is an essential investment for any indie developer serious about getting their game off the ground, and events like The Big Indie Pitch offer a relaxed setting to fine-tune that skill. Add to that the expert feedback and chance of press visibility, and you can see why developers find this an invaluable opportunity.

For more details and upcoming events, see the Big Indie Pitch website or contact Jupiter Hadley at jupiter.hadley@steelmedianetwork.com