More game developers, more publishers: second gamescom Pitch & Match is a complete success

• 99 developers and 19 publishers register for BIU.Dev event
• Indie BBQ attracts around 200 developers, publishers and platform providers
 
Berlin, 20 September 2017 – The second BIU.Dev Pitch & Match at gamescom was a great success: this year’s matchmaking event managed to link up even more German and international game publishers and developers than in 2016. A total of 99 developers and 19 publishers from 23 countries registered for the second BIU.Dev Pitch & Match on gamescom Tuesday. The first event at gamescom 2016 welcomed 79 developers and 16 publishers from 17 countries. These figures were announced today by the BIU, the German Games Industry Association. The format of the BIU.Dev Pitch & Match event meets with widespread approval. This is evidenced not only by the growing number of participants, but also by a feedback survey, in which the vast majority (52 out of 55) gave positive or very positive feedback on the quality of the discussions, the presentations and the overall organisation. 51 respondents reported that there would be a follow-up meeting between developer and publisher following the first pitch. All those who filled in the questionnaire said they would recommend the Pitch & Match event to others.
 
‘More participants, fantastic discussions, positive feedback all round: the second BIU.Dev Pitch & Match event was a resounding success,’ says Felix Falk, Managing Director of the BIU. ‘Our event offers both indie developers and publishers an additional business platform during the world’s biggest trade fair for computer and video games. The positive feedback shows how important these kinds of formats are for the industry.’
 
At this year’s event, publishers including astragon, Bandai Namco, Ubisoft Blue Byte, flaregames, Headup Games, Kalypso Media, Deck13 and, for the first time, Team17, Surprise Attack and Kongregate listened to pitches for game projects that had been submitted. Each developer was given a slot of around 20 minutes. The presented projects ranged from first-time projects for individual game platforms to multi-platform titles.
 
Tanja Schmoller, Creative Producer at Mad About Pandas, says, ‘A place in the sun! Not something we’d expected to find at this year’s gamescom, alongside all the appointments during the trade fair. The Pitch & Match brought together a fantastic array of international companies. We found the talks very inspiring and in one or two cases they will definitely influence our strategy.’
 
Mel Montano, Senior Business Development Manager at Kongregate, says, ‘The Pitch & Match was useful in that it was in a good location at a convenient time.’
 
The BIU.Dev Pitch & Match took place on 22 August from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the beer garden attached to the gamescom business area. The Indie BBQ that followed, organised in conjunction with the Indie Arena booth, attracted another 200 developers, publishers and platform providers for an informal get-together.

BIU – the German Games Industry Association

We are the association of the German games industry. Our members are developers and providers of digital games and represent over 85 per cent of the German market. We are the sponsor of gamescom, the world’s biggest event for computer and video games. As an expert partner for media and for political and social institutions, we answer questions on topics such as market development, games culture and media literacy. Our mission is to make Germany the leading location for game development.

Press contact:

Martin Puppe
BIU, the German Games Industry Association
Charlottenstraße 62
10117 Berlin
Germany
Phone: +49 (0)30 2408779-20
Fax: +49 (0)30 2408779-11
Email: puppe@biu-online.de
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Twitter: @game_eV
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