I think this is news that we didn't want to happen but it was expected. To counteract Covid-19, the Penny Arcade Expo or PAX is changing things up for their event held in Boston, Ma. PAX East was originally planned to take place in its routine location of Boston in June but news broke today, March 29th, that the convention was being held as an online event instead. PAX West and PAX Unplugged are still scheduled for September and December but only time will tell if they will still occur. The online event, PAX Online, is scheduled for July 15-18; wants to build off of 2020's PAX Online event that was a huge success. Below is the official statement from Kyle Marsden-Kish, PAX Event Director, ReedPop.
ReedPop and Penny Arcade Statement on PAX East 2021, PAX Online
In light of ongoing public health concerns, ReedPop and Penny Arcade will not hold PAX East this year. Given the United States’ progress towards addressing COVID-19 in recent months, we are cautiously optimistic PAX West and PAX Unplugged will proceed as planned with in-person festivities Sept. 3-6 and Dec. 10-12, respectively.
Since we can't wait until September to reconnect with the wonderful PAX community, PAX Online will return July 15-18. We hope to build on the success of last year’s record-breaking event and also engage with our community in new ways, such as the Indie Showcase that will take place between now and PAX Online. Expect to hear more about these exciting plans soon.
While we hoped PAX East could safely take place, we remained realistic and did not sell any tickets or space to exhibitors to avoid significantly inconveniencing our friends and partners. As we have shown via our actions throughout the pandemic, our utmost concern is the safety of the PAX family — from attendees, exhibitors, and show staff to media and content creators — as well as the local communities that host our celebrations of all things gaming. We will only move forward with a live PAX once we are confident the show will be safe for everyone.
ReedPop and Penny Arcade will continue to monitor the situation surrounding COVID-19, observe government guidelines and local laws, and defer to health officials and experts on what is deemed safe.
We are grateful for the efforts everyone made to make PAX East happen in 2021, and we look forward to returning to Boston in 2022.
-- Kyle Marsden-Kish, PAX Event Director, ReedPop