E3 is officially dead as of last week, and it was the only expo of its kind. I am wondering how to promote my game when it's finished in several years, now that the only big gaming convention (at least in the US) is now permanently cancelled.

There are more far more expo events as far as I remember. Additionally there are some bigger virtual ones already too (which are probably among the main reasons why E3 ends).

BradleyAuerbach said:
how to promote my game when it's finished in several years, now that the only big gaming convention (at least in the US) is now permanently cancelled.

I don't know how you think solo indie devs used E3 to promote their game, or what kind of promotion you plan to do. E3 was for publishers to sell SKUs to retailers. The big publishers get the most attention from the retailers, and the big retailers get the most attention from the publishers. It was very hard for an individual dev to make a good sale, or to get a publishing deal, at E3.

Best to start networking locally if feasible, go to small events, learn from sessions, get into conversations over between-sessions coffee. If when you've finished your game you can afford to attend GDC, I'd recommend that (using networking skills you developed at smaller events).

Tom Sloper said:
I don't know how you think solo indie devs used E3 to promote their game, or what kind of promotion you plan to do. E3 was for publishers to sell SKUs to retailers. The big publishers get the most attention from the retailers, and the big retailers get the most attention from the publishers. It was very hard for an individual dev to make a good sale, or to get a publishing deal, at E3. Best to start networking locally if feasible, go to small events, learn from sessions, get into conversations over between-sessions coffee. If when you've finished your game you can afford to attend GDC, I'd recommend that (using networking skills you developed at smaller events).

Speaking of publishing deals - you can use conventions to get more press cover and possibly reach out end-users directly there (to an extent) - instead of attempting to find publisher there. I'm not sure how much E3 changed in recent decade or so - or how much it was different in recent years from let's say Gamescom in Cologne.

It'd be interesting to get some statistics - whether it is more viable to reach end-users directly vs. reaching a publisher. Although I assume there would be way too many different variables in such statistics making it completely irrelevant (completely different product, publisher quality varies (a lot), self-publishing success is heavily dependent on luck, etc.).

BradleyAuerbach said:
E3 is officially dead as of last week, and it was the only expo of its kind

It was the only of it's kind, and that's why it is good it is dead. E3 started in 1995 when the industry was MUCH smaller.

Specialty show after specialty show splintered off, and many new ones were started.

E3 started shrinking (for smaller businesses) back in 2005 or so because of the generalist nature. The show was HUGE, and booths were multi-million-dollar affairs. If you wanted to make an announcement you were competing with dozens of other major companies and tons of minor companies all making announcements, so your stuff was more likely to be lost on the noise. Major companies started shifting to their own shows, and smaller groups shifted to smaller conventions. As smaller businesses were excluded to the size, the show also opened up to the public and took other steps to offset the enormous cost. They ultimately led to the downfall of the show. By 2015 or so pretty much all the large companies was engaged in a mass exodus to their own shows or to smaller, more niche shows.

It served its purpose and the industry can thank it for some of the growth, but it's dead for good reason. The industry is too big for one mega show. Even if E3 had split into ten different mega shows, it still wouldn't have been enough. If you are looking for conventions, look up lists like https://videogamecons.com/​ for a couple hundred of them.

frob said:
https://videogamecons.com/

Thanks for that!

BradleyAuerbach said:
now that the only big gaming convention (at least in the US) is now permanently cancelled.

GDC IS STILL GOING ON… AS WELL..