We’ve been hosting the Big Indie Pitch for over eight years now, travelling all around the world in order to highlight the best and brightest from the talented world of Indie development. From London, San Francisco, Busan, Cologne, and even, in the last 18 months, completely online, we’ve offered developers a chance to showcase their games to a panel of talented experts in a series of short, quick-fire sessions.
Welcome to the world of hypercasual!
The gaming world, and in particular the mobile space, has changed drastically in that time! Most recently we’ve seen the hypercasual genre boom. So, in collaboration with our event sponsors Sunday, we’ve established the Big Hypercasual Pitch!
This fresh take on the format will enable developers of hypercasual games far and wide the opportunity to pitch their latest project to a range of hypercasual-focused judges (including journalists, publishers, investors, and notable developers). They’ll answer questions and share expert insight on their game. What’s more, we’ll be doing this online, so there’s no need to even leave your home or office… Even better, it’ll take place as a part of Pocket Gamer Connects Digital #8, and all shortlisted developers get a free ticket for the whole conference, not just for the pitch.
What to expect
For those who have previously been a part of a pitch, the format remains very familiar. This unique speed-dating format gives each developer five minutes with a couple of experts, before moving on to the next, meaning entrants will get real feedback from the event, honing their pitch across a series of small meetings.
The winner, alongside the runners-up, will receive editorial coverage on PocketGamer.Biz, making this a perfect opportunity to get your studio and your game acknowledged by the world – plus you could potentially win a very special prize from our sponsors Sunday, who are offering the top 3 exclusive mentoring/coaching focusing on creating a profitable hit hypercasual game with the end goal of signing a publishing agreement.
The Big Hypercasual Pitch will take place on Wednesday, September 29, from 3:00pm – 6:00pm (UK Time).
How it’ll work couldn’t be simpler. We’re inviting hypercasual developers from around the world to join us in order to pitch their games to our expert panellists.
Approximately 15 teams will run the gauntlet, giving their all in quickfire five-minute pitches to demonstrate how their title works. Can they persuade the experts that their hypercasual game is worthy of being crowned the first-ever Big Hypercasual Pitch winner? Renown in the games media awaits!
Be a part of it
Fancy the chance of winning the first-ever Big Hypercasual Pitch, but wondering if your game qualifies? Here’s a quick-glance checklist of criteria:
The basic criteria:
- Games must be level-based and presented in portrait mode
- Gameplay must be quick and rewarding with level durations being approximately 30 seconds
- Games must not include a metagame or deep complex systems
- Ideally, the game will have only one mechanic and can be played with one hand
- Games must be easy to pick up and play without a tutorial by those who regularly play games and those who don’t alike
- 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
- Developers must not currently have a publisher for the game they submit
Interested but unsure if you qualify? Got some questions? This should help:
- You can pitch games for mobile, portable including Switch, mobile VR and AR. (PC and console developers go here.)
- You can pitch your game even if you’ve pitched it at a previous Big Indie Pitch event.
- We prefer to see unreleased games, though we’re happy to see games that are just out too.
- Each successful applicant gets two free PG Connects Digital #8 developer passes.
- Even if your application is not successful you’ll still get a discount!
- Deadline for entries is midnight Friday September 17, 2021 – but places fill up so the sooner, the better (entry details below).
SUBMISSIONS
If you’re good to go then submit your details and game here – the earlier, the better.
All submissions will be notified if they are successful in their application to pitch at the event.
We’ll leave you with some top tips on how to prepare for the Big Indie Pitch and look forward to seeing you in at one of our Pocket Gamer Connects conferences soon.
Good luck!
- All hypercasual game developers are welcome
- One or two people from the same company are welcome to make the pitch
- Make sure you submit your game details to be shortlisted to take part
Developers will have just 5 minutes to pitch to each room of judges, so practice explaining your game in this length of time. Here are some great tips on how to prepare for the Big Indie Pitch.
The prize breakdown is:
The top 3, alongside any honourable mentions will:
- Be covered in our winners’ article on PocketGamer.Biz
- Be interviewed for PocketGamer.Biz
- Receive tickets to a future PGC of their choice
- Receive a Certificate (Digital) to commemorate the placement
Additionally, the winner will also receive:
- Booth space at a future physical PGC of their choice
- A slot within PocketGamer’s LaunchPad event as part of BIP roundup
N.B. If you are selected to pitch, feedback on your game from the judges will be made available after the event.