The SwissGames Showcase, established in 2020 by Pro Helvetia, is an annual mentorship initiative designed to provide personalized coaching and connections within the game industry for independent Swiss game studios.
Following a call for participation in 2023, studios from all over Switzerland sent in video pitches – explaining their aim of participating in the mentorship program, outlining their business strategy, indicating the production status of their game, and – of course – giving insights into the gameplay.
The jury members, a panel of international experts from the game industry, chose the studios that they would personally coach via online sessions and introduce to potential business partners within their networks. The mentors pass on their knowledge acquired through years of experience in the international videogame scene and share their expertise for the studios to gain enough credibility, expand and establish international partnerships. This program also includes knowledge-rich lectures to help participants put forward and finance their projects. The mentors remain attentive to the needs of the studios they have chosen to coach and aim to create a long-term relationship.
Furthermore, the studios forming the SwissGames Showcase 2024 will participate in several important international industry events throughout the year, as well as be supported in curated matchmaking by our partner MeetToMatch.
The 6 selected studios forming the SwissGames Showcase 2024
LUAL Games
Eldritch Language Processing
Try not to lose your mind while translating what the monsters in the wild try to tell you and file your own notes and findings, shaping the story with your interpretations.
Platform: PC
Genre: Rogue-Lite
Mentor: Astrid Refstrup
Momento Games
Flying Toyz
Flying Toyz is a competitive and multiplayer game where the gamer impersonates a toy with powers that can be used to fight and score goals.
Platforms: PC, LINUX, PS, XBOX
Genres: Action, 3D fighter
Mentor: Christopher Chancey
Kipwak, an EDAZOT S.A. Studio
Wizdom Academy Build, Manage, Thrive
“Wizdom Academy” is an enchanting magic school management game where players can construct and customize their own school, recruiting students and teachers.
Platforms: PC, Mac
Genres: Construction, strategy
Mentor: Ella Romanos
natsha
Psychotic Bathtub
«Psychotic Bathtub» deals with Ophelia’s experience with her slightly odd, highly disturbing, and entirely unique psychotic disorder in her bathtub. Interact with the environment through Ophelia’s eyes.
Platform: PC
Genres: Multilinear Story Game
Mentor: Rufus Kubica
Early Coffee Games
Hermit: an Underwater Tale
Hermit: an Underwater Tale is a fast paced action game with arcade elements. You play as a hermit crab who faces waves of creeps and dangerous sea creatures. To protect yourself, you will use a wide variety of empty shells as weapons.
Platforms: PC, Switch, Steam Deck
Genre: Arcade
Mentor: Lélia Peuchamiel
knit’n’purl game studio LLC
Roots
Roots is a dungeon Crawler where you fight off the evil critters with the support of your ants.
Platforms: PC and Switch
Genres: Dungeon Crawler, Hack’n’slay
Mentor: Ella Romanos
Jury members
Astrid Refstrup is the CEO of Triple Topping games, a feministic games studio, focusing on narrative games. She was the co-writer and director on Welcome to Elk released on 2019 and also an advisor to the game fund Kowloon Nights.
Christopher Chancey is the President & CEO at ManaVoid Entertainment.
Ella Romanos is an award-winning games industry executive, with over 12 years experience running and managing teams and projects. With Fundamentally Games Ltd, she helps developers and organisations transform their games into services, working from concept to live ops.
Rufus Kubica started his adventure at 11 bit studios as Community Manager (Marketing), then switched to a more high-level PR role as a Senior Communication Manager, to finally become a Senior Product Manager in the External Development Team.
Lélia Peuchamiel is a Game Production/Publishing consultant and indie games specialist. Among others, she has worked for publishers like Team17 and Good Shepherd to scout new talent, develop their labels, and deliver their flagship titles.
What is SwissGames?
SwissGames is an initiative to promote the Swiss games cluster at home and abroad. Under the umbrella of SwissGames, we organize or support Swiss participation in more than 20 events per year and help Swiss developers gain visibility, build relationships with the international games industry and access the global market.
