After two years, it was finally time for the Big Indie Pitch to return to live in-person pitching, and what better place than Pocket Gamer Connects London 2022, our flagship show.

This also meant the return of The Very Big Indie Pitch, this time sponsored by Jagex Partners. The Very Big Indie Pitch is our bumper edition competition where even more developers can pitch an ever-increasing range of brand new and diverse gaming experiences from some of the most exciting indie developers, not only from the UK but all across the globe.

For those not in the know, The Big Indie Pitch is a regular event run by the makers of PocketGamer.biz. It gives indie developers the chance to pitch their games to industry experts and journalists in a speed-dating-style format. Teams get the opportunity to get valuable feedback on their games, as well as win great prizes such as promotional packages and opportunities to promote their game.

As always, the competition was extremely tough with the judges offering up their expertise for all 19 games pitched. In fact, it was so tough that the judges actually ended up with two second-place prizes alongside the overall winner, which this time was Townseek by Whales And Games. A game that eagle-eyed readers will recognise as a recent honourable mention.

All in all, one thing is for sure, all of our finalists, which you can learn more about below, are more than worthy of highlighting, and the pitch marked what can only be described as a fitting return to live pitching.

1st Place - Townseek by Whales And Games

Townseek is a relaxing exploration-trading game. One in which players are able to fly freely across their world utilising their very own airship. Within the game players will be able to travel far and wide as they discover exotic landmarks, trade within towns, fish, mine, farm, and finally complete their journal by finding the missing pages of Sir Reginald Sharkingston’s journal, the first sharkfolk to freely explore the world.

Of course, that's not all though, as one look at the trailer will show you just how visually appealing the game is, thanks to an abundance of charm, cuteness and bright colours. Finally, Whales and Games have designed Townseek to be an open-ended calm experience that lets the player discover the world at their own pace, meaning that you will have all the time in the world to soak in everything Townseek has to offer.

Joint 2nd Place - Wholesome - Out and About by Yaldi Games

Wholesome - Out and About is a community-driven game that blends life-sim gameplay with ways to inspire players' real lives, all whilst adding is a dash of learning and education. Embodying the very essence of the word Wholesome, Yaldi games have created an experience where you can simply relax and unwind whilst also feeling that unbeaten sense of adventure.

As such, players can look forward to exploring a beautiful open world, foraging for wild food, tending for your garden, cooking, crafting, decorating your house and garden and even making friends with people and animals. What's more, thought-out this experience players will be able to pick up real-life skills such as gardening skills, mushroom identification, real-life recipes and crafting thought DIY instructions.

Joint 2nd Place - Pest Whisperer by TinyVoice

Pest Whisperer is a light-hearted narrative puzzle game. One in which you step into the shoes of a kind-hearted and caring pest controller in a strange alien world, who cares about their clients as much as about the creatures many have deemed to be pests. Creatures that range from mail-snails to veggie-haunting ghosts.

Of course, locating, capturing and safely releasing these strange creatures isn't the only thing you'll be doing, as much like any good community worker you'll be able to chat to your clients and in turn, learn more about their lives and stories. From making friends with the villagers and helping them with their pest problems, to finding new homes for the weird and wacky creatures, and of course, uncovering the solution to all of the game's puzzles, this is a game that should offer challenge and accessibility in equal order, whilst also filling any player's hearts with that warm fuzzy feeling that comes from doing good.

Want to show off your exciting new game? We host Big Indie Pitch events throughout the year, so make sure to regularly check our upcoming events page over on BigIndiePitch.com.

Once again, a huge thank you to our sponsors. Without them, we couldn't highlight all of the amazing indie talent above. If you'd like to find out more about each of our amazing sponsors, then simply click the logo below.