Idle City Builder wins the Mobile Very Big Indie Pitch at Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki 2025

Idle City Builder secured first place at the Mobile edition of the Very Big Indie Pitch during Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki this year. 

Pocket Gamer Connects returned for another iteration of its Helsinki event, during Finnish Game Week. The event was jam-packed with tons of talks and a new track on transmedia, serving as a two-day celebration of the culture of game development.  Alongside all of this, there were tones of different fringe events like this to take part in, including the VBIP. 

For those that aren't familiar with the Very Big Indie Pitch, it's a speed-dating-style event that challenges a group of indie developers - some of whom have games that are still in development and some whom have released games - to pitch their game in a quick-fire pitch at tables of experts from all corners of the games industry.

Developers who participate in the Very Big Indie Pitch get valuable feedback on both their game and their pitch as a whole, as well as gain experience in pitching quikcly and meeting a variety of different experts. Winners also recieve prizes including a golden Big Indie Pitch  baseball bat and promotional packages.

The Very Big Indie Pitch at Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki this year saw 12 games pitched by a bunch of different developers, covering varying scopes, strategies and themes with their games. 

As there was such a wide spectrum of games and quality, it was challenging for our experts to make their final decisions on their favourites. However, there can only be one winner!

First Place

Idle City Builder by Playnest

(iOS, Android)

Our experts found Idle City Builders to feel very polished! This fun, relaxing, mobile city building game has you shaping a world full of blocks through play. You need to harvest and refine your resources, build up different buildings, and increase your townhall levels to ensure you're progressing as a city. 

Once your city has grown, you are able to meet visitiors, trade, and unlock new features like landscaping to make your city your own. Idle City Builders even has custom villager skins and world themes, to further the personalisation options! 

Second Place

Gamingcouch.com by Gaming Couch

(Other)

In second place, we have Gamingcouch.com, which is a mix of a mobile game and a PC game. This party game is full of different arcade games that players play using their mobile phone as controllers. It's highly accessible, being web-based, and provides a lot of couch co-op fun for one to eight players.

Ease of play is a big feature of Gamingcouch.com - just scan the QR code with your phone and you can find yourself playing loads of different fun, social, and even competitive mini-games with your friends and family.

Third Place

HORTENSIAS by Paperclip

(iOS, Android)

HORTENSIAS came in third place at the Very Big Indie Pitch in Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki. This touching mobile game focuses around real conversations between the developer, her mother, and her grandmother - all reflecting on memories they had of the developer's great grandmother, who has passed away. 

The game features a non-linear story strung together through a series of upbeat and melancholic mini-games and comic strips, that let you play through their memoires. Lots of moments like sewing and baking, that feel really relatable. 

Want to show off your exciting new game? We host Big Indie Pitch events throughout the year, so make sure to regularly check our upcoming events page over on BigIndiePitch.com.