Secured financing, also within the framework of publishing contracts, is essential for successful game development. The first step towards this is a convincing pitch deck. And to secure this important support, developers need a good pitch. But how to design a successful pitch?
This is precisely what Pitch Level Up is all about. The annual event will be organized by Gamecity Hamburg for the fourth time on February 20, 2025 in Hamburg’s SPACE. Over the span of just one day, developers will receive extensive, critical and honest feedback on their pitch deck from games industry experts.
Among others,:
- Valentina Birke (Director Indie Arena Booth,
- Project Director Super Crowd Entertainment),
- Michael Schade (CEO Rockfish Games) and
- Kristin von der Wense (Publishing Producer Daedalic Entertainment) will attend as coaches.
The offered feedback will be supplemented by a talk program on topics relating to the financing and publishing of computer games. The Pitch Level Up is open to developers from all over Germany and Europe.
“Receiving feedback from such a diverse group of experts with different backgrounds is a unique opportunity for the participants. Is an idea convincing? And what needs to be fine-tuned? The Pitch Level Up is a preparation for pitching your project to potential partners in the best possible way. At the same time, the event offers the protected space needed to discuss confidential content and receive constructive feedback. There is also a suitable talk program and the opportunity to exchange ideas with other start-ups and indie studios,” explains Dennis Schoubye, Head of Gamecity Hamburg.
Expert feedback from different perspectives
Experts from different fields of the games industry provide valuable feedback and support participants in optimizing their pitches for different situations. Participants can request feedback sessions with these and other experts:
- Valentina Birke (Director Indie Arena Booth, Project Director Super Crowd Entertainment)
- Steffen Rühl (Business Development Consultant specialised in games industry topics)
- Margarete Schneider (Project Manager at Gamecity Hamburg and Games Lift Incubator)
- Kristin von der Wense (Publishing Producer Daedalic Entertainment)
- Dennis Schoubye (Head of Gamecity Hamburg, member of the selecting committee for Gamecity Hamburg Prototype Funding)
- Michael Schade (CEO & Co-Founder at ROCKFISH Games GmbH)
- Christopher Kellner (Head of Business Development at astragon Entertainment)
- Nina Müller (VP Publishing & Development Services at Goodgame Studios)
- Søren Lass (Business Development Consultant)
More experts will be announced as the event approaches. Further details on the lecture program and speakers can be found on the official website of Gamecity Hamburg.
Registration for individual feedback sessions until February 13, 2025
Developers, founders and studios can register for the Pitch Level Up until February 13. Tickets cost 8 euros (plus VAT and fees) and include participation in up to three feedback sessions, the talk program, snacks and drinks.
Click here to register: https://pitch_level_up_2025.eventbrite.de/?aff=pm
If you only want to attend the talk program, you can secure your tickets until February 19. The venue is the SPACE Hamburg, the innovation space of Hamburg Kreativ Gesellschaft at Am Sandtorkai 27, in 20457 Hamburg.
Tailored support for founders in Hamburg
Gamecity Hamburg also supports developers, teams and founders in the games sector with two funding programs. The prototype funding program supports projects with up to 80,000 euros. The application phase will start again in March 2025.
In the Games Lift incubator program, participants master the first milestones in the development of video games with high market potential. Each year, five participating teams receive start-up funding of 15,000 euros, a coaching, mentoring and workshop program with international experts, as well as office workstations in the SPACE innovation space. The application phase for the Games Lift Incubator 2025 starts in May 2025.
More information about the program can be found at: https://www.gamecity-hamburg.de/inkubator/
