Game industry will reunite at PAX East starting June 3, pending public health developments
SEATTLE — December 4, 2020 — ReedPop and Penny Arcade look forward to welcoming gamers home in 2021 with the return of North America’s most-attended gaming events: PAX East, PAX West, and PAX Unplugged.
Pending improvement in the global COVID-19 situation, and with the support and guidance of local governments and health officials, PAX East will return Thursday, June 3 through Sunday, June 6 to the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. PAX West 2021 will descend on the Washington State Convention Center in Seattle, WA from Friday, Sept. 3 to Monday, Sept. 6. PAX Unplugged lights up the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, PA from Friday, Dec. 10 through Sunday, Dec. 12.
PAX South will not take place in 2021, but organizers look forward to the show’s return in 2022. Information about PAX Australia will follow in the coming weeks.
Across PAX East, PAX West, and PAX Unplugged, world-class publishers, beloved developers, and fan-favorite content creators will unite for unforgettable panels, exciting esports showdowns, hands-on demos, and sneak peeks of the future of gaming. Attendees will experience new game reveals, world-first previews, community gaming areas, and much more.
“While we look forward to hosting shows in 2021, we are first and foremost members of the local communities in Boston, Philadelphia, and Seattle, where we call home,” said Kyle Marsden-Kish, PAX Event Director. “We care deeply for the health and safety of our amazing attendees and industry partners who have brought PAX to life for 17 years. We are cautiously optimistic about improvements in the global COVID-19 situation next year, but we are carefully monitoring the situation to make sure PAX only proceeds if deemed safe to do so.”
Badges for PAX East, PAX West, and PAX Unplugged 2021 will go on-sale at a later date, to be announced. Exhibitor information, panel and event schedules, merchandise details, and more for each show will be shared next year.
Travel guides, safety and accessibility information, and more will be posted on the official websites of each PAX event soon. For more updates, follow PAX on Twitter, Facebook, Twitch, and Instagram.
About PAX
PAX, or Penny Arcade Expo, is a festival for gamers to celebrate gaming culture. First held in Seattle in 2004, PAX has nearly doubled in size each successive year, with PAX Prime 2014 selling out of tickets in a matter of minutes. Connecting the world’s leading game publishers with their most avid and influential fans, PAX expanded with a second show in Boston in 2010, and a third in San Antonio in 2015, making it the three largest gaming shows in North America. The first international PAX was held in Melbourne, Australia in 2013. In 2017, Penny Arcade established PAX Unplugged, its first tabletop focused show, held in Philadelphia.
About ReedPop
ReedPop is a boutique group within Reed Exhibitions – one of the world’s leading events organizers. Launched in 2006, the group has become the number one producer of pop culture events across the globe as well as a full service digital content provider and media company. Delivering once-in-a-lifetime fan experiences curated specifically for localized audiences, ReedPop currently features events in North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa, including: New York Comic Con (NYCC), Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2), PAX West, East, South, and Unplugged, Emerald City Comic Con (ECCC), Star Wars Celebration, MCM Comic Con, Eurogamer Expo (EGX), Comic Con Paris, BookCon, Comic Con Seoul, Comic Con Africa, Minecraft Festival, ComplexCon, POPSUGAR Play/Ground, Salon du Chocolat NY and more. In addition to organizing and managing events, ReedPop also runs and operates the Gamer Network and its portfolio of leading gaming websites including Eurogamer, Rock Paper Shotgun and GamesIndustry.Biz. The staff at ReedPop are a fan-based, globally focused group of professionals that are uniquely qualified to build and serve the communities with whom they share a common passion.
About Penny Arcade
Penny Arcade has been the world’s most popular webcomic for over 20 years, with over 3.5 million readers. Started in 1998 in the living room of Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins, it has grown into a media empire encompassing multiple beloved properties such as Lookouts, Automata, and beloved D&D live-play series Acquisitions Incorporated. Penny Arcade was responsible for the creation of Child’s Play, a gaming charity that has raised over $45 million dollars for children across the world. They are also the founders of PAX, the number one consumer gaming festival in North America, with hundreds of thousands of loyal visitors every year.
