IndieGameBusiness®

This talk focuses on the most common mistakes teams make when building a pitch and how to avoid them. Based on real experiences reviewing and producing game projects, it explores why many pitches fail to communicate their true potential, not because the ideas are bad, but because they are poorly framed, unfocused, or disconnected from business and production realities.

Join Jay and Ivan for an inside look at what publishers and investors really look for in a pitch deck. Drawing on their experience reviewing countless submissions, they’ll break down the key elements that make a deck stand out and what may cause them to be overlooked. Walk away with practical insights to help your pitch rise above a crowded field.

Pitch decks shouldn’t feel like homework, they should feel like gameplay.

In this session, I break down how indie developers can Gamify their pitch decks and design decks that engage, guide, and convert investors, publishers, and partners using game design thinking.

Drawing from real indie pitching lessons, failed pitches, and successful iterations, I’ll show how to structure your deck like a player journey, with clear stakes, progression, and payoff.

In the current industry investment climate, every pitch needs to find an edge in order to succeed. In 'The Art of Pitching', Travis takes a look at pitching at a foundational, psychological level at what needs to be communicated and how. A break from the normal pitch templates, guides, or ideal format the talk covers lessons that you can use regardless if you're trying to pitch your game, your idea, or even yourself. Key takeaways include messaging, strategy, and how to understand who you're pitching to.

You'll discover essential strategies for successfully navigating the funding landscape. Learn how to craft compelling pitches tailored for government bodies and private investors, ensuring your project stands out. We'll explore networking techniques to build lasting relationships and share real-world case studies showcasing successful collaborations. Key takeaways include actionable insights on pitching dynamics, effective communication, and overcoming challenges, empowering you to secure vital support for your game development ventures.

All the time and effort spent honing your pitch has paid off and now a publisher has agreed to publish your game. Congratulations!! However, the next morning you receive an email with a PDF publishing agreement full of unnecessarily cumbersome phrasing and legal language. What does it all mean and how can you tell if it is a good deal? In this hour-long presentation, video game and entertainment lawyer Andrew Thomas will cover the basic contract terms every developer should know about when entering into a publishing agreement as well as some common pitfalls.

Join Ash and Indie as they break down everything that happened at the recent IndieGameBusiness® Sessions: From Pitch to Partnership. In this post-event discussion, they’ll recap key moments, standout conversations, and the biggest takeaways from speakers and attendees.

Ash and Indie will also talk about what worked, what surprised them, and what these insights mean for indie developers moving forward. If you missed the event or want a deeper look at the lessons learned around pitching, partnerships, and business growth, this stream will get you fully up to speed.

They’ll also share what’s coming next for IndieGameBusiness and how future events and sessions are evolving based on community feedback.

#IndieGameBusiness #IGBSessions #IndieDev #GameBusiness #PostEvent

How do you pitch a culturally grounded game without getting pushed into clichés or “folklore tourism”? In this session I share practical ways to communicate the heart of your game, explain your cultural influences, and keep control of your narrative while still giving publishers what they need. You will learn simple tactics to frame your fantasy, highlight your team’s strengths, and pitch your world with honesty and confidence.

Join Jay Powell and Omar Khalil for a live pitch review session, where they’ll evaluate a game pitch in real time and share practical feedback, insights, and best practices.

In this episode of IndieGameBusiness, we’re joined by Jade King, Lead Features Editor at TheGamer, to talk about what every indie developer should understand about working with the gaming press in 2026.

Jade breaks down what an indie game really means in today’s landscape, how journalists approach covering indie releases, and what developers can do to get noticed by traditional press without burning bridges. We’ll also discuss why forcing pitches hurts coverage, how indie press coverage is changing, and how developers and journalists both need to adapt moving forward.

This conversation offers a behind-the-scenes look at how coverage actually happens, how to make journalists’ lives easier, and why doing so makes indie games more fun to cover again. If you want smarter press outreach and better long-term relationships with media, this episode is essential.

Follow Jade King:

X: https://x.com/KonaYMA6

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jade-king-292a12101/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jade_king23/

#IndieGameBusiness #GamePress #IndieDev #TheGamer #GameJournalism