Pitch Level Up 2026

Pitch Level Up is the event to learn more about the art of pitching: in confidential 1:1 sessions, you can present your pitch to games experts to get honest and productive feedback. This is the perfect opportunity to get your pitch ready for upcoming talks with publishers or calls for funding in 2026. Throughout the day, a talk program will give further insights into the publishing landscape, show what a successful pitch deck can look like, and what publishers are keeping an eye out for. In addition, there will be ample time for networking or participating in peer-to-peer feedback sessions.

The mentors for the 1:1 feedback sessions are:

• Valentina Birke, Director Indie Arena Booth(opens in a new tab)(opens in a new tab)
• Sören Lass, Games Consultant(opens in a new tab)(opens in a new tab)
• Michael Krosta, Biz Dev and Games Scout at (opens in a new tab)United Games(opens in a new tab) (opens in a new tab)
• Max Kübler, Biz Dev/Game Scout at Daedalic Entertainment (opens in a new tab)
• Nina Müller, Senior VP of Products, Goodgame Studios(opens in a new tab)
• Jasmin Östreicher, CEO at Sidekick Publishing (opens in a new tab)
• Steffen Rühl, Games Consultant (opens in a new tab)
• Margarete Schneider, Project Manager at Gamecity Hamburg(opens in a new tab)
• Dennis Schoubye, Head of Gamecity Hamburg (opens in a new tab)
• Kristin von der Wense, Publishing Producer at Daedalic Entertainment (opens in a new tab) Tickets for the 1:1 Feedback Sessions are no longer available. If you'd like to attend the sessions as a team, only one person has to buy a ticket from the 1:1 category to book a slot for the entire team. The others can buy the Talks & Networking Tickets. Please bring your own device to present your pitch on. You have 10 minutes to present, afterwards the expert will give up to 15 minutes of feedback and answer your questions.

Talk Program - Jasmin Pfeiffer (DigiTales Interactive(opens in a new tab)) will present the pitch deck that got them a publishing deal for their game Lacuna(opens in a new tab) and give further insights on how to pitch for a publisher. Max Kübler (Daedalic Entertainment) will share his expertise in a Fireside Chat. He'll give insights from a games publisher's POV on how to convince one of your game, common pitfalls developers make and answer any questions you might have.  - Dennis Strümpel (ShoulderByte) shares his solo dev journey with Drill Keeper, which began with a plan to self publish. He discusses how publisher conversations entered the picture over time, what led him to sign a deal later in development and what he learned from the process. - Max Kübler (Daedalic Entertainment) will share his expertise in a Fireside Chat. He'll give insights from a games publisher's POV on what working with a publisher looks like, what's a good fit and answer any questions you might have. 

We’re looking forward to a day of learning, pitching, and networking with you!