Indie Megabooth
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Indie Megabooth is a section at game expositions, legally incorporated under the name Indie Megacorp, Corp,[1] dedicated to the display and promotion of indie games. It launched at PAX East 2012[2] and continued to only appear at PAX events[3][4][5][6][7] before expanding to other shows including the Eurogamer Expo,[2] Electronic Entertainment Expo,[8] Game Developers Conference,[9] and Gamescom.[10] It was founded by Kelly Wallick, who became the booth's full-time organizer in 2013.[11][12]
After a brief hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic,[13] the Indie Megabooth organizers announced their return in 2023.[14] As of 2024, the Indie Megabooth has not announced what their next event will be.[14]
According to scholars, the Indie Megabooth has helped to shape video game culture and the industry as a cultural intermediary.[1]
History
The first Indie Megabooth took place at PAX East in 2012 with 16 developers and 20 games.[11] That same year, at PAX Prime (now known as PAX West), it held 30 developers and 30 games.[11] In 2013, its PAX East showing included 50 developers with 62 games.[11] In only a year, it had more than doubled in size.
Between PAX East 2013 and PAX Prime 2013, the Indie Megabooth organization legally incorporated under the name Indie Megacorp, Corp.[1] Kelly Wallick left her career as a project manager with Infrared5 to become acting president, secretary, treasurer, and only full-time employee.[11][1] Eitan Glinert became the vice-president.[1]
2014 marked the first time the Megabooth took place at a non-PAX event. It showed 15 games at the Game Developers Conference (GDC).[9] At that time, organizers announced they would make a "concerted effort" to bring the Megabooth to many events moving forward.[9]
True to their word, the Megabooth took place that same year at Gamescom for its first appearance overseas.[10]
In 2015, the Indie Megabooth took place at the Eurogamer Expo.[2] In 2017, it took part in the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3).[8]
The showings at Gamescom, Eurogamer, and E3 were all one-offs, but GDC—along with PAX West and PAX East—became a regular in their lineup.[15]
In 2017, the Indie Megabooth created and held its own convention in Atlanta called the Indie Megashow.[16] Along with showing indie video games, the convention included nine local musicians and four art installations from local artists.[16]
By 2018, the Indie Megabooth received between 200 and 300 submissions for each event.[1] The organizers would narrow that number down to between 60 and 80 games.[1]
In 2020, the Indie Megabooth's organizers chose to "sunset" the Indie Megabooth for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic.[13]
In 2023, Wallick announced that the Indie Megabooth would be returning from its "hibernation."[17] The announcement was a part of that year's Summer Game Fest during its Day of the Devs segment.[14] No specific events were stated in its future plans.[14]
