Ready to become the game developer everyone's talking about at the Game Developers Conference? Pitch your game in front of our audience! GDC 2024 is excited to announce the return of GDC Pitch, the popular game pitch-off, along with revealing the judges whose feedback may help rocket your game to superstardom.
GDC Pitch is a special event designed to help select participants hone their game-pitching skills. Five studios will solicit their games to an opinionated panel of investors and publishers—followed by questions, advice, and feedback. Then, the judges will declare the day's "Best Pitch" and award two free GDC 2025 All Access passes.
This annual event has been a game-changer for many developers. Participants become "household names" at GDC, with many seeing an increased interest in their booths and game demos. Some have even reported getting deals from publishers as a result of their participation in Pitch. It's not just a place to practice your pitch: It's a way to bring your game to the industry's front door.
Participants are selected from GDC Play, an interactive showcase for innovative projects from emerging and independent game makers. It's the perfect place to get your game and studio noticed by leaders in the game industry. If your studio wants to be one of the select few to join GDC Pitch for GDC 2024, inquire about GDC Play here.
GDC Pitch will once again be hosted by advisor Jason Della Rocca, an industry leader in fundraising and achieving financial success in the game industry. Jason will be providing one-on-one pitch coaching for all GDC Pitch participants. And if you're interested in learning more from Jason about securing funding for your projects, be sure to attend his GDC 2024 session, Take My Money!: Everything You Need to Know to Score Funding.
Here's the list of industry experts who have signed up to help judge GDC Pitch for 2023:
Day 1: Wednesday, March 20
Bekah Saltsman (CEO & Co-Founder, Finji)
Rebekah is the CEO and co-founder of Finji, an independent development studio and publisher. Finji has published several award-winning indie games including Canabalt, Night in the Woods, Wilmot's Warehouse, Overland, and Chicory: A Colorful Tale, and are currently hard at work supporting Andrew Shouldice's TUNIC, Sarah Northway's I Was a Teenage Exocolonist, and the unannounced title from The Glory Society. Rebekah is a co-designer on Finji's original game development projects and manages all of the console and storefront relationships and marketing initiatives for Finji's internal and partner publishing projects. Rebekah's career began in media relations before working as a technical writer and product manager in the photography software industry. She moved into games in 2008 with the support of her husband and Finji co-founder, Adam, and she managed the finances and porting partnerships for Semi Secret Software. Rebekah loves to write, run long distances, and spend as much time as possible at Lake Michigan every summer with her and Adam's two beautiful chaotic boys.
Bobby Wertheim (Partner, Nocturne Games)
Bobby has spent 15 years immersed in the gaming landscape, working across various roles and domains (QA, Production, Business Planning and A&R). During Bobby's time in the industry, he has worked at PlayStation, SEGA, Curve Games and founded a games consultancy firm, Kando Factory and now is a founding partner of a game fund Nocturne Games. Since 2016 Bobby's focus has been on finding and securing the most talented studios to invest into. Bobby has evaluated over 20,000 game pitches in his time and has an extensive network within the indie gaming scene. During his career, Bobby has been credited on over 50 game titles, having worked on many successful AAA titles such as Heavy Rain, Gran Turismo, Sonic the Hedgehog, Bayonetta and has signed games such as Two Point Hospital, As Dusk Falls, and many more.
Snow Rui (President & CFO, Hooded Horse)
Snow leads the business, operations, and financial aspects of Hooded Horse. She helps shape Hooded Horse’s nontraditional approach to indie game publishing—namely, helping every game find its audience, forgoing standard 100% recoup terms, and fostering an environment of mutual cooperation. She started her career as a transactional lawyer and holds a JD and MBA from Yale.
Day 2: Thursday, March 21
Anlu Liu (Business Manager, Kowloon Nights)
Amalgamating her prior experience in investment and her love for games, Anlu joined Kowloon Nights as a Business Manager for the past three years. Her main responsibilities are to find and evaluate games, and help studios look out for opportunities in Asia. She aims to help studios bring great games to the community.
iAsia Brown (Senior Producer, Xbox)
iAsia, distinguished as "Tech Picasso," whose current role as Senior Producer at Xbox seamlessly interweaves the realms of gaming, film, and art, manifesting her visionary storytelling. Her enduring commitment to authenticity and empowerment positions her as a luminary for diverse voices across industries. As she embarks on a scholarly journey as a doctoral student in Organizational Change and Leadership at USC Rossier School of Education, iAsia amplifies her influence. Beyond her art and academia, she ardently serves on the Board of Directors for Woman in Tech Hollywood (WiTH), Creating Coding Careers, and the Black Alumni Association at USC, further epitomizing her dedication to community, education, and advancement.
Justin Woodward (Co-Founder, Owner, & Lead Advisors and Curator, MIX+Humble)
With a mixture of over 12 years of independent and AAA development and production experience, and a master's in Game Production and Management, Justin co-founded and directs an independent game studio, Interabang Entertainment, as well as The Media Indie Exchange (The MIX), which is an organization that helps to elevate indie developers' visibility and business opportunities through exclusive indie showcases online and in-person worldwide. Being involved in the development scene has also led him into the role as a lead advisor with Humble Bundle on the Black Game Developer Fund, as well as a consultant for the investment/crowdfunding platform Fig, IGN Prime, and has helped organize the IGN Indie Open House and Double Fine Indie spaces.
Attendees: Make sure to get a seat early! Each year the theater fills to capacity, as the developers compete for the judges' praise. Of course, the only way to see these sessions—and hundreds more—is to buy a pass for GDC 2024! Don't forget to register by Friday, November 17 at 11:59pm PT to save on your GDC pass with our Advanced Rate.
Sign up for GDC 2024 here.
GDC returns to San Francisco this March 18-22, 2024—and registration is now open! Secure your best pass price here. For more information, be sure to visit our website and follow the #GDC2024 hashtag on social media.
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