Sophia Aubrey Drake

Staff

Sophia Aubrey Drake

About Queen of all things Indie. Sophia is Steel Media’s Big Indie Pitch Manager and Developer Evangelist. She’s also a global speaker and lifelong gamer with a fanatical love of all things Nintendo and Japan. So much so that she’s written a thesis on one and lived in the other.

Articles by Sophia Aubrey Drake

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Hero brawler Battle Bears Heroes wins The Very Big Indie Pitch at Pocket Gamer Connects San Francisco 2024

February 21, 2025

Very Big Indie Pitch

Hero brawler Battle Bears Heroes wins The Very Big Indie Pitch at Pocket Gamer Connects San Francisco 2024

We revisit last year's winners ahead of the next Stateside edition at PGC San Francisco's return this March 17th and 18th 2025

"The joy of seeing people play your games and appreciate your work makes it all worth it": Lucid Labs discuss indie development

Lucid Labs came 2nd at the Very Big Indie Pitch in Dubai - we discuss their road to the Big Indie Pitch

Tekore Studio emerges from the shadows to win the Very Big Indie Pitch at the Dubai GameExpo Summit

Very Big Indie Pitch

Tekore Studio emerges from the shadows to win the Very Big Indie Pitch at the Dubai GameExpo Summit

Winners breakdown

"Embrace challenges with passion; success follows dedication and vision": BAD Spiele Studio discuss indie creativity

BAD Spiele Studio came 2nd at the Very Big Indie Pitch in London - we discuss their road to the Big Indie Pitch

"Don't be afraid to experiment. Learn from your mistakes": Tornado Bear discuss standing out as an indie

Tornado Bear won the Very Big Indie Pitch in London - we discuss their road to the Big Indie Pitch

Tornado Bear wins The Very Big Indie Pitch in London with its hybridcasual game Kingland

January 29, 2024

Very Big Indie Pitch

Tornado Bear wins The Very Big Indie Pitch in London with its hybridcasual game Kingland

Winners breakdown

Big Indie Interviews: Quang Nguyen discusses being passionate and finding new in the old

January 19, 2024

Big Indie Pitch Stories

Big Indie Interviews: Quang Nguyen discusses being passionate and finding new in the old

Interview! We chat with the long-time Big Indie Pitch participant and judge to discuss experimentation and helping the next generation

Big Indie Interviews: Olexiy Izvalov discusses pitching, judging, and helping emerging developers

January 12, 2024

Big Indie Pitch Stories

Big Indie Interviews: Olexiy Izvalov discusses pitching, judging, and helping emerging developers

Interview: We chat with the long-time Big Indie Pitch participant and judge to discuss experimentation and helping the next generation

Big Indie Interviews: Adriaan de Jongh discusses the importance of experimentation and creativity

January 5, 2024

Big Indie Pitch Stories

Big Indie Interviews: Adriaan de Jongh discusses the importance of experimentation and creativity

Interview: We chat with the multi-time Big Indie Pitch winner to discuss creative development and marketing strategies as an indie developer

Big Indie Interviews: Jai Bunnag and Chris Li tell us how FINIFUGU designs for its target audience

December 29, 2023

Big Indie Pitch Stories

Big Indie Interviews: Jai Bunnag and Chris Li tell us how FINIFUGU designs for its target audience

Interview: We sit down with the multi-time Big Indie Pitch winner to discuss growth and change

Martine Spaans tells us what it takes to be a Big Indie Pitch judge

December 15, 2023

Big Indie Pitch Stories

Martine Spaans tells us what it takes to be a Big Indie Pitch judge

Interview: We sit down with the Big Indie Pitch judge Martine Spaans

Happy Volcano discusses Big Indie pitch success and their continued growth as an indie studio

December 8, 2023

Big Indie Pitch Stories

Happy Volcano discusses Big Indie pitch success and their continued growth as an indie studio

Interview: We sit down with the Big Indie Pitch winner Happy Volcano

Three-time Big Indie Pitch winners Minidragon on embracing failure in order to succeed

December 1, 2023

Big Indie Pitch Stories

Three-time Big Indie Pitch winners Minidragon on embracing failure in order to succeed

Interview: We sit down with the Big Indie Pitch winner Minidragon

October 16, 2023

"Our ultimate goal is to keep creating memorable and enjoyable experiences": Latchback Games discuss standing out as an indie

Latchback Games won the Very Big Indie Pitch in Helsinki - we discuss their road to the Big Indie Pitch

Boogiz blends dance, gaming and education to win The Very Big Indie Pitch in Helsinki

September 14, 2023

Very Big Indie Pitch

Boogiz blends dance, gaming and education to win The Very Big Indie Pitch in Helsinki

Winners breakdown

Hero of Aethric conquers the competition and wins The Big Indie Pitch at Pocket Gamer Connects Toronto

Very Big Indie Pitch

Hero of Aethric conquers the competition and wins The Big Indie Pitch at Pocket Gamer Connects Toronto

Winners breakdown

Smash Head Studio's roguelite action platformer wins the first ever Dubai Big Indie Pitch

Very Big Indie Pitch

Smash Head Studio's roguelite action platformer wins the first ever Dubai Big Indie Pitch

Winners breakdown

"Just make something and put it out there": Kaleidoscope Games discuss getting started in game development

Kaleidoscope Games took second place at our flagship Very Big Indie Pitch in London - we discuss their road to the Big Indie Pitch

"Ask for help and advice from industry peers, all the time": Adriaan de Jongh discusses surviving as an indie

Adriaan de Jongh won the big indie pitch for the third time at PGC London 2023 - we discuss what it takes to survive and thrive as an indie developer

February 6, 2023

"Keep your eyes on the goal and never lose sight of it": indie Samson Gabriels talks making maths fun

SumPop Online took second place at a Digital Big Indie Pitch last year - we discuss the team's inspirations, and their advice for other indies

Adriaan de Jongh becomes a three time Big Indie Pitch winner with Secret Shuffle

January 30, 2023

Very Big Indie Pitch

Adriaan de Jongh becomes a three time Big Indie Pitch winner with Secret Shuffle

Winners breakdown

Koala 4D's Locust swarms the competition and wins The Big Indie Pitch at Pocket Gamer Connects Jordan

November 14, 2022

Very Big Indie Pitch

Koala 4D's Locust swarms the competition and wins The Big Indie Pitch at Pocket Gamer Connects Jordan

Winners breakdown

October 26, 2022

"We are super-fast and iterate quickly": Lessmore talks pitching, development and Eatventure

PocketGamer.biz talks to Sophie Brügmann about The Big Indie Pitch and Eatventure

Latchback Games draws a winning hand as Break the Beyond wins The Very Big Indie Pitch

October 2, 2022

Very Big Indie Pitch

Latchback Games draws a winning hand as Break the Beyond wins The Very Big Indie Pitch

Winners breakdown

Indie development and innovation: meet the team behind DT Space Races

September 5, 2022

Indie development and innovation: meet the team behind DT Space Races

We talk to Kevin Prigent about his recent third-place Big Indie Pitch experience

We sit down with Minidragon to discuss its record-breaking Big Indie Pitch success

August 15, 2022

We sit down with Minidragon to discuss its record-breaking Big Indie Pitch success

We talk to Minidragon's Hank Choi about The Big Indie Pitch

Dunali Games sit down with us to discuss innovation and survival in indie game development

August 12, 2022

Dunali Games sit down with us to discuss innovation and survival in indie game development

We talk to Dunali Games' Dipender Kaushik about The Big Indie Pitch

Interview: Noah Rosenfield discusses solo development and the Big Indie Pitch winning game Addagrams

Interview: Noah Rosenfield discusses solo development and the Big Indie Pitch winning game Addagrams

"Experiences. Go have some. Experiences are out there *points nebulously*, not in here *points to phone screen*"

Real-time chess puzzler Tale of Honour manoeuvres to the Big Indie Pitch crown

Big Indie Pitch

Real-time chess puzzler Tale of Honour manoeuvres to the Big Indie Pitch crown

Winners Breakdown

Addagrams inventive additions to the word genre see it crowned Mobile Big Indie Pitch champion

Very Big Indie Pitch

Addagrams inventive additions to the word genre see it crowned Mobile Big Indie Pitch champion

Winners breakdown

Pixel Play discuss always learning as they develop their first game PXLPLAY

Pixel Play discuss always learning as they develop their first game PXLPLAY

We talk to Pixel Play about indie development and The Big Indie Pitch

Shift Shaft awarded first place at The Big Indie Pitch after offering a new spin on a classic genre

Very Big Indie Pitch

Shift Shaft awarded first place at The Big Indie Pitch after offering a new spin on a classic genre

Winners breakdown

Hurley Games discuss offering something new to the word-based game genre

Hurley Games discuss offering something new to the word-based game genre

We talk to Hurley Games' Jack Hurley about The Big Indie Pitch

Minidragon becomes a three time Big Indie Pitch winner as Hyper Dungeon is crowned champion

Big Indie Pitch

Minidragon becomes a three time Big Indie Pitch winner as Hyper Dungeon is crowned champion

We explore the top games from our recent Digital Big Indie Pitch

Very Big Indie Pitch runner-up Hamdo Games discuss pitching Our Last Halloween

Very Big Indie Pitch runner-up Hamdo Games discuss pitching Our Last Halloween

We talk to Hamdo Games' Parham Sorooshian about The Very Big Indie Pitch

War Bear Games discuss all things pitching and making a new kind of roguelike in Minion Mash!

War Bear Games discuss all things pitching and making a new kind of roguelike in Minion Mash!

We talk to War Bear Games' Marcin Gola about The Big Indie Pitch

TAP TRICKS unique one-touch skateboarding action wins as live Very Big Indie Pitch returns

February 21, 2022

Very Big Indie Pitch

TAP TRICKS unique one-touch skateboarding action wins as live Very Big Indie Pitch returns

Winners breakdown

Exploring indie development and winning The Big Indie Pitch with Rikzu Games

January 27, 2022

Exploring indie development and winning The Big Indie Pitch with Rikzu Games

We talk to Rikzu Games' Ricardo Mendonça about The Big Indie Pitch

Three Dragons discuss Museum inspired tycoon management, AR and what it takes to survive as an Indie

January 26, 2022

Three Dragons discuss Museum inspired tycoon management, AR and what it takes to survive as an Indie

We talk to Three Dragons' Milan Doležal about The Big Indie Pitch

Conned Games discuss creating their running town-builder and pitching it at The Big Indie Pitch

January 25, 2022

Conned Games discuss creating their running town-builder and pitching it at The Big Indie Pitch

We talk to Conned Games' Daniel Cohn about The Big Indie Pitch

Rikzu Games' relaxing platformer Leap: A Dragon's Adventure crowned Big Indie Pitch Champion

January 21, 2022

Big Indie Pitch

Rikzu Games' relaxing platformer Leap: A Dragon's Adventure crowned Big Indie Pitch Champion

Winners breakdown

Anna Sevryugina discusses solo indie developer and a love of hidden object games

January 4, 2022

Anna Sevryugina discusses solo indie developer and a love of hidden object games

We talk to Anna Sevryugina who placed third in a recent Big Indie Pitch

Hook Up: Exploring creativity through storytelling and dating

December 1, 2021

Hook Up: Exploring creativity through storytelling and dating

We talk to Sophie Artemigi from Team Hook Up

Ablaze Interactive discuss solo development and blending genres

November 29, 2021

Ablaze Interactive discuss solo development and blending genres

Guardians of Elderon placed second at The Big Indie Pitch

Hook Up's exploration of the trials and tribulations of dating wins The Big Indie Pitch at Pocket Gamer Connects Digital NEXT

November 24, 2021

Big Indie Pitch

Hook Up's exploration of the trials and tribulations of dating wins The Big Indie Pitch at Pocket Gamer Connects Digital NEXT

Winner breakdown

JollyLabs on hypercasual development and latest game Dance Army

October 18, 2021

JollyLabs on hypercasual development and latest game Dance Army

Dance Army placed third at The Big Indie Pitch

Mavis Games discusses how it's bringing stealth genre to mobile with Sneacat

October 15, 2021

Mavis Games discusses how it's bringing stealth genre to mobile with Sneacat

Sneacat placed third at The Big Indie Pitch

Musical traffic game Mr. Traffic wins the first ever Big Hypercasual Pitch

October 7, 2021

Big Indie Pitch

Musical traffic game Mr. Traffic wins the first ever Big Hypercasual Pitch

Winner breakdown

How learning from past experience took WRP Studios to second place at The Big Indie Pitch

August 16, 2021

How learning from past experience took WRP Studios to second place at The Big Indie Pitch

Lost Twins 2 placed second at The Big Indie Pitch

How Summoners Fate is trying to build a new kind of turn-based tactics/deckbuilding game

August 12, 2021

How Summoners Fate is trying to build a new kind of turn-based tactics/deckbuilding game

Summoners Fate placed second at The Big Indie Pitch