The PC Indie Pitch, is a regular event run by the makers of PC Games Insider. It sees indie developers engage in a speed-dating-styled pitching competition for fame and those sweet, sweet promotional packages.

The event gives indies five minutes to pitch their games to a panel of press, publishers and industry pundits. The judges then pick three winners and everybody gets valuable feedback.

The indie view

The PC Indie Pitch is getting bigger and bigger as we bring it to events all across the world. To give you an idea of what the event is like, who attends the events and the games on show, we've sat down with a number of past PC Indie Pitch contestants to offer their views.

Today, we're speaking to Pigmentum Game Studio's Krystian Mucha, who submitted Indygo to The PC Indie Pitch @ GIC Poznan 2017 and walked away with the prize for third place.

PCGamesInsider: Tell us a little about yourself and your indie studio - who is on the team, and what are their inspirations?

Krystian Mucha: We are group that set its goal to deliver games full of atmospheric experience and meaningful choices, Pigmentum Game Studio was founded earlier this year, but the group was formed 2 years ago during Microsoft’s Szkoła Twórców Gier (Game Dev School) - competition for young game developers in Poland. Team consists of 4 people - Aleksandra Jarosz (graphics and story), Krystian Lisoń (programming), Krystian Mucha (programming, sound design, composing) and Magda Pawlik (graphics and UI/UX). We are inspired visually by traditional painting and graphic art. The other factor is intriguing stories and sociology problems.

Tell us about your latest project that you pitched at the competition.

Indygo is a narrative game with elements of point'n'click set in one room only - painting workshop. It tells the story of a painter who suffers from depression. One of the symptoms is proceeding isolation. Main character haven’t left his room for more than 3 months. The person who helps him live through this hard time is his girlfriend Anna. It became obvious for both of them, that this situation can’t last forever. The time has come to look for solution. It’s up to player to decide how the story will progress.

The main topic of game is depression and isolation. We make an attempt to illustrate what people affected by disturbances of mood can experience. We want to counteract the stigmatisation of those people. During the game you will see the world through the eyes of the main character. Many puzzles await to be solved and letters to be read. Painter’s journal gives us a detailed information about his mental state and thoughts. Inquisitives will be able to find additional hints bonding story together.

Handmade graphic and music are important elements that add depth to story. The room changes accordingly to the mental state of a character. Game has multiple endings. How the story ends depends on the seemingly trivial decisions during the game. Our goal was to make the players choose, how the story will progress.

How hard is it to survive as an Indie developer working in PC?

Nowadays, there is more and more games being released every day. It’s hard to get noticed by the audience. I think that the most important part is to build a solid community of people that support your studio. First game may not be a financial success, but if you are hard-worker and focused on a goal, you will eventually get decent results. Be passionate in what you do.

How did you find your experience pitching as a part of the PC Indie Pitch?

I think events like this are really important. Developers can learn how to present their project and gain feedback. Ability to properly pitch is one of the most important things you need to know, especially when looking for a publisher or an investor. First impression is all that matters, if you fail to interest someone in your project, you may lose very important chance.

What do you feel you have gained from the experience, and what do you still hope to gain?

Confidence. I’ve been through a lot of pitching, but I wasn’t sure if what I’m doing is correct. I’ve also never had a real chance to participate in such event before. Now I know I need to trust my skills a bit more. Thank you (and judges) for this valuable experience and all the feedback you’ve provided.

What are your hopes for this game in the future, and do you have any plans for any future projects?

Depression affects a large group of people, both young and old. We want our game to have a dimension of educational, preventive, and be helpful in reducing the stigmatization of the mentally ill. Maybe we will also change how people perceive the games, to show them that this medium can also talk about difficult topics. Regarding future projects, it’s still too early for us to reveal any information. One thing is certain - you will hear about us.

Want to show off your exciting new game? We host PC Indie Pitch events throughout the year, so be sure to keep an eye out on our events page for an event near you.

Upcoming PC Indie Pitches include:

• The PC Indie Pitch at PC Connects London 2018 (22nd - 23rd January 2018)
• The PC Indie Pitch at PC Connects San Francisco 2018 (14th - 15th May 2018)