PitchYaGame

PitchYaGame is hosted on the social media platform Twitter to showcase independent video games from around the world.[1][2][3][4][5][6] Video pitches are presented by developers in June and November each year, and use the hashtag #PitchYaGame to identify and reference news about the showcase and the individual pitches, and the presentation of awards.[1][2][4]

Liam Twose in 2023.

The showcase was founded in May 2020 by Liam Twose,[2][4][5][6][7] with the mission of recognising independent video games,[2][7] and "focused on empowering indie game developers to strengthen their position in the industry."[8] Twose has made clear that PitchYaGame is a showcase and not a hardcore competition, with "[j]ust enough of a push to make sure people put their best pitch forward."[2]

The team now comprises Twose (@LiamTwose at Twitter), operations manager "Indie Game Lover" (@IndieGameLover)[4] and host Sarah Clancy (@ImSarahNow).[4][7]

The pitches were originally made monthly, with entries split into a number of categories, but this proved unmanageable.[8] PitchYaGame collaborator, Sarah Clancy reported that judging the many entries on a monthly basis was "difficult and unwieldy."[4] Therefore, pitches were later switched to six monthly, "feature creep" was reduced, and awards streamlined into gold, silver, bronze, runners-up, and most viral.[8]

In June 2021, PitchYaGame prizes were sponsored by Xsolla,[9] and in November 2021 by Aurora Punks and Cold Pixel.[10] No cash prizes were available in 2022,[3] as the organisers moved PitchYaGame into a less-competitive, "more showcase centric format".[2]

In October 2020, Elijah Beahm at The Escapist wrote that "One of the greatest challenges for any game is landing a solid pitch. You have to sell people, maybe even a publisher, to take your idea seriously. Most of the time, it’s an obfuscated process that leaves the average developer scratching their heads, but Liam Twose and his team behind #PitchYaGame, 'PYG' for short, are looking to change all that with some clever social engineering."[8]

In March 2021, Cameron Koch at GameSpot wrote that "Using the #PitchYaGame, thousands of indie developers tweeted out pitches for their games on November 2 as part of a social media contest, and the results are astounding."[5] He went on to say that "There is no arguing with the results. According to Twose, around 1100-1300 games were shared with the hashtag, and some real gems look to have shined through."[5]

In November 2021, Stafano "Stef" Castelli at IGN Italia wrote that "I myself enjoyed 'browsing through' the competitors, discovering a handful of intriguing video games in development." (translated from Italian).[6]

In November 2022, Eric Bartelson at Premortem Games wrote that "It's a great way to get games noticed by fellow developers, but also publishers, investors and press."[2]

• Video game development