Pitching in a Pandemic, Part 1

In this final episode of our second series, our panel of industry experts join us for one last time to give us their thoughts on what the future may hold for indie games development.With continued uncertainty about what lies ahead in the months to come, and with small businesses feeling the brunt of the economic impact of the pandemic, our panel discuss the immediate effects of changes to working practices on their studios and the wider industry.Wrapping up this season in the only fitting way, our expert panel share their thoughts on what indie dev in the UK may look like post-2020.Gina Jackson - Sold OutPaul Kilduff-Taylor - Mode 7Tara Reddy - LoveSharkDavid Hamilton - Ninja KiwiStephanie Warwick - Jolly Good GamesShaz Yousaf - Honey Tribe StudiosMany thanks to all members of our panel for sharing their time and expert knowledge over the course of this season of Inside Indie Games. 

In this episode we're diving into the subject of building and managing an online community as the core of your audience. As game developers, securing engaged and passionate fans is confirmation of success. But your fans aren't just your customers, they're also your biggest marketers. Fans are the ultimate focus group for getting feedback, testing ideas, and developing new concepts. So how do we go about gaining and retaining those fans? How do we build that community around our game, and our brand? Should you consider hiring a dedicated community manager? And if so, how do you go about finding the right person for the job? Our expert panel join us once again to discuss this hot topic.Gina Jackson - Sold OutPaul Kilduff-Taylor - Mode 7Tara Reddy - LoveSharkDavid Hamilton - Ninja KiwiStephanie Warwick - Jolly Good GamesShaz Yousaf - Honey Tribe Studios

Failure...few people like to admit to it, but we've all been there. Mistakes can, and in the creative world of games development, will happen. But what can indie devs do to pick themselves up and try again? From being 'ghosted' to taking reviews personally, is acknowledgement of mistakes made harder than making them?We speak to our panel of industry experts about their experiences, what advice they would give and why failure isn't such a bad thing.Our panel:Gina Jackson - Sold OutPaul Kilduff-Taylor - Mode 7Tara Reddy - LoveSharkDavid Hamilton - Ninja KiwiStephanie Warwick - Jolly Good GamesShaz Yousaf - Honey Tribe Studios

Each episode in this season is essential listening, but none more so than this one! What can small studios realistically do to effectively market and sell their game? Research, outreach, community engagement, authentic communication...all of these aspects of marketing and selling games are discussed in this episode. As ever, we're joined by our panel of industry experts, and they're going to talk us through the tactics and strategies they've found to be most effective when it comes to selling and marketing. There is a LOT to learn from this one!Gina Jackson - Sold OutPaul Kilduff-Taylor - Mode 7Tara Reddy - LoveSharkDavid Hamilton - Ninja KiwiStephanie Warwick - Jolly Good GamesShaz Yousaf - Honey Tribe Studios

Can business sustainability sometimes be sacrificed in the quest for growth? If fast growth is more appealing to potential investors, how do you manage the risks?In this episode we're diving into the subject of business sustainability and growth -  an ever hot topic for start up games dev studios. Is there a right way to grow your business?Along with our expert panel we explore how start ups can grow their company in a way that builds on expertise. This could be anything from budget and finances, to project management, workload, or staff happiness. Our guest panel for this episode, bringing their wealth of experiences and expertise, is:Gina Jackson - Sold OutPaul Kilduff-Taylor - Mode 7Tara Reddy - LoveSharkDavid Hamilton - Ninja KiwiStephanie Warwick - Jolly Good GamesShaz Yousaf - Honey Tribe Studios

Kicking off the remaining episodes of our second season of Inside Indie Games, we’re joined by a panel of industry experts from all walks of games development backgrounds as we delve into the world of M&As in the indie dev sector.At the heart of discussion in this episode is the burning question for a lot of indie dev studios: should passionate games developers be Creative Directors or CEOs?This episode highlights the tensions faced by indie games development founders across the creative vs business divide and asks if a change of ownership brings freedom or fear. Our panel bring varying perspectives from the sector; from indie game developers, publishers, those who’ve been acquired already and those who’ve secured significant investment.With:Gina Jackson - Sold OutPaul Kilduff-Taylor - Mode 7Tara Reddy - LoveSharkDavid Hamilton - Ninja KiwiStephanie Warwick - Jolly Good Games

Veteran games journalist Will Freeman hosts the second part of this special episode of Inside Indie Games.The pandemic has not stopped deals from being done and pitches being made. The UK games development sector continues to grow and prosper as studios and publishers all find themselves working remotely and as dispersed teams. But how does it work on a practical basis? Will speaks with Rosa Carbó-Mascarell and Aj Grand-Scrutton, both from successful independent games development backgrounds to uncover what pitching in a pandemic is like in 2020. On the flip side, we also hear from Gwen Foster of Robot Teddy with her take on being pitched to in the virtual world.Don't forget, this is Part 2 of this special episode. Listen to Part 1 here. 

How can games developers successfully pitch their projects virtually?With physical events being on hold for much of 2020, games developers looking to secure publisher deals or even garner interest in their games have to do it in a remote way. In the first part of this special episode of Inside Indie Games, guest presenter Will Freeman, speaks to Sophia Aubrey Drake (The Big Indie Pitch) and Mike Rose (No More Robots) about the best ways to nail that virtual pitch.Part 2 of this special episode will be published very soon. 

Veteran games journalist Will Freeman hosts this special episode of Inside Indie Games.Many of the companies that we support operate remote working and as dispersed teams. But the present enforced home-working for many sectors lucky enough to have it as an option has brought the practice firmly into the spotlight and for many it’s been a new novelty.Joined by Colin Anderson (Denki) and Simon Bennett (Roll7), Will explores what opportunities and challenges remote working can have for indie games developers. Both Simon and Colin explore what does and doesn’t work well and offer advice on how to be productive.Will is joined by our very own Deborah Farley, Head of Tranzfuser. Together they discuss how a UK-wide summer programme can, and does, work successfully across a wide network of support Hubs.

From games developer, to business development and finally to publishing. Paul Kilduff-Taylor from Mode 7 knows a LOT about the independent games development industry.In this bonus episode of Inside Indie Games, we discuss how teams and individuals can best approach pitching; why those seeking investment should research the kind of funding they're pitching for, translating the investor's goals to their project and the basic pitfalls indie devs looking for funding should be aware of. All indie dev studios should tune in!