All about The Big Indie Pitch
Helping Indie Developers to hit it out the park!
How the Competition Works
The Big Indie Pitch sees indie developers engage in a speed-dating-styled pitching competition for fame, feedback and plaudits.
It’s a fun but hotly contested event that has proved a genuine game-changer for teams in the past.
- We begin by opening the submission process.
- We then select the finalists who will pitch at the event.
- At the event, every pitching team gets 3 minutes to state their case, and face 1 minute of Q&A with the judges. Once the Big Indie Pitch klaxon blows, it’s time to change table and do it all again.
- Once every team has pitched at every table, pitching is over. The judges go off to deliberate and, once done, the winners are announced.
Interested but unsure if you qualify? Got some questions? This should help:
- You must be an indie developer or indie studio
- You can pitch games for mobile, console, handheld and PC
- 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
But whether you win or lose, everyone comes away with genuinely useful feedback on their game – that’s the kind of consultancy companies pay mucho mucho for. Here, you get it for free!
3 steps to success…
PLEASE NOTE: You must register with the PocketGamer.biz website BEFORE you submit your game for entry to the The Big Indie Pitch.
What is The VERY Big Indie Pitch?
The clue’s in the name. The Very Big Indie Pitch is the bigger sibling of our regular BIP event.
Entrants still have to be selected from the submission process, the finalists still get 4 minutes at each table, everyone gets excellent, useful feedback on their games. And the top three teams get to share a promotional prize worth $thousands.
There are four key differences from a normal Big Indie Pitch, though:
- There is a larger number of teams taking part
- The event is typically run within our PG Connects conferences, meaning it’s a two-day affair (Day 1 hosts the pitching, Day 2 enables the top 5 teams to showcase their games to the conference delegates)
- The winners are decided not only by the judges but also through votes from the conference delegates (the voting process takes place during Day 2 while the top 5 teams show off their games)
- The promotional prize value is bigger
PLEASE NOTE: You must simply register for a PG Business Network user account on the PocketGamer.biz website BEFORE you submit your game for entry to the The Very Big Indie Pitch. It’s FREE and takes less than a minute to do.
What is The PC / Console Big Indie Pitch?
Grab your mice and controllers: the PC / Console edition of The Big Indie Pitch is the big screen sibling of our regular BIP event. (formerly called the PC Indie Pitch!)
PC, Mac, Linux, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and XBox One projects are welcome, and of course games of all genres. As usual entrants must be selected from the submission process. This time around developers still move from judge table to table showcasing their latest development, however to accommodate for the bigger experiences when it comes to our pc / console edition developers are given 5 minutes to pitch everything to our expert judges. Everyone gets excellent, useful feedback on their games. And the top three teams receive a selection of marketing prizes that can be used to promote their pitch winning projects.
Twenty teams will run the gauntlet, giving their all in quickfire five-minute pitches to demonstrate that their title is worth of The PC Indie Pitch crown.
The basic criteria:
- You can pitch games for Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One, PC, Mac & Linux
- You can pitch unfinished games
- 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
- Games must be presented by developers either via video, or on laptops.
PLEASE NOTE: You must simply register for a SM Business Network user account on the PCGamesInsider.biz website BEFORE you submit your PC or Console game for entry to the PC / Console Edition of The Big Indie Pitch. It’s FREE and takes less than a minute to do.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I submit my game?
Registration is done on the relevant Big Indie Pitch event listing page of the PocketGamer.biz site.
For ease, you’ll find a link on each of the Big Indie Pitch events listed on this site too.
Do I have to register on PocketGamer.biz?
Yes. To be able to submit your game to a Big Indie Pitch you’ll need to be registered on PG.biz first.
Can I enter without submitting my game?
For Big Indie Pitch events that have their own Eventbrite page (where spectators and pitchers register for their ticket) we will allow pitchers to obtain a ticket before submitting their game details on PG.biz.
However, you will need to register your entry via PG.biz in order to be considered for the competition. (If you don’t, you’ll end up spectating – even if you’ve registered for a ‘pitcher’ ticket on Eventbrite.)
Can I just watch?
Absolutely. Every Big Indie Pitch has a crowd of fellow developers, interested publishers, and other assorted industry folk just watching the action.
You’ll just need to register for a ‘spectator’ ticket on the Big Indie Pitch’s Eventbrite page.
(One exception: our Very Big Indie Pitch competitions that take place within our PG Connects conferences. There, only delegates already attending the conference are able to spectate.)
What if my game is unfinished?
Provided there’s enough there to play and get a sense of what you’re trying to achieve, this shouldn’t stop you from entering. We’ve had near-finished and ‘in progress’ games at past BIPs without issues.
What if my game is already on an app store?
Not a problem, provided it hasn’t been there too long. (For guidance, up to 6 months is generally accepted.)
What can I win?
A share of a promotional package worth $thousands (prize varies depending on the BIP event).
And, of course, exposure for you and your game, as well as invaluable constructive feedback from media and seasoned industry figures – think of it as a supercondensed consultancy session, the kind of thing that companies typically pay mucho mucho for.
Even if you don’t win, you come away with guidance on how to improve your creation. So, in a sense, you still win. (And there’s nothing to stop you entering it again at another BIP, with a ‘new and improved’ version of your game.)
Can I be a judge?
Possibly – you’ll have to get in touch with our Big Indie Pitch Manager Sophia, who’ll be able to advise.