In the wake of the current pandemic, many IRL events have been canceled. Among them is Penny Arcade Expo (PAX). PAX is one of the world’s biggest festivals for gamers to celebrate gaming culture. There are always panels, new games to try, esports competitions, chances to meet heroes, and heaps more. Unfortunately, both PAX Australia (PAX Aus), and PAX West (Western Coast) have been canceled. But that doesn’t mean all hope is lost. Reed Pop, the team behind PAX, this week announced both events would be combining for PAX Online!
PAX Online
It’s often hard to replicate IRL events online. Yes, there’s ways to get more people involved, but some elements of events simply don’t translate — random encounters with people, meeting your heroes, competing, and of course swag. But Reed Pop has tackled some of those and designed a very unique online event.
A lot of the usual fan favorites will be taking place online. Attendees can expect surprise game reveals, hands-on demos, esports tournaments, the indie gamer section, new partnerships, and more. And if you were worried about missing out on the swag, don’t worry. PAX will simply have all the merch available online, making it even more accessible than ever before. PAX West merch is even available right now to preorder. It’s free shipping and allows anyone to purchase this year’s very cool university-themed PAX gear.
Going global
Unlike geo-located events like PAX Aus, PAX Online is inviting panel submissions from anywhere in the world. There will be a lot of competition, and you can apply to host a panel. Just check the website. If you’re a developer and you care to showcase your game, you can also submit to have your game in the indie dev section. Submissions for both close on July 24. It’s going to be an exciting event for everyone. Jerry Holkins, the co-Founder of PAX, is excited for the buzz PAX Online will create and sharing it with the whole world. He said in the official press release:
First and foremost, PAX has always been about the incredible community created by everyone involved, from the attendees, panelists, exhibitors, and our amazing enforcers . PAX Online will recreate that shared experience, along with everyone’s other favorite elements from game reveals, exclusive hands-on experiences, the chance to hear from and speak with your favorite game developers, journalists as well as content creators, and so much more. Even if we can’t all meet in Seattle or Melbourne this year, we look forward to reconnecting with friends, and welcoming everyone to our new home, PAX Online.
PAX Online will be taking place from Sept. 12-20… Yes, that’s over a week! And did we mention the content will be playing for the full nine days, 24 hours a day? It doesn’t matter which corner of the globe you’re in — you’ll be able to tune into PAX Online. Keep an eye on the website above for more updates, as well as Twitter, and right here.
