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    PAX

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    Since its inception in 2004, the Penny Arcade Expo has grown to be the largest gaming festival in North America. PAX West is held annually on Labor Day weekend in Seattle; PAX East in Boston in the Spring; PAX Australia in Melbourne in October; and PAX Unplugged in December in Philadelphia.

    Short summary describing this concept.

    PAX last edited by Marino on 09/18/23 12:01PM View full history

    Overview

    PAX 09 - Day 1
    PAX 09 - Day 1

    The Penny Arcade Expo was created by Jerry "Tycho" Holkins and Mike "Gabe" Krahulik of the Penny Arcade web comic and was announced on April 12, 2004. The inaugural event was held over two days at the Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue, WA where roughly 3000 attendees came to see offerings from Microsoft, Nintendo, Ubisoft, and other developers/publishers. But it wasn't just about the miniature E3-like expo hall, as many panels allowed attendees access to discussions among developers and other Internet celebrities. And there were also concerts by bands such as The Minibosses and MC Frontalot. The first PAX also featured a tournament to end all tournaments known as the Omegathon.

    After 2004, the show's attendance practically doubled each year. The exponential growth of the show forced the show's organizers to move to the Washington State Convention & Trade Center in downtown Seattle in 2007, effectively doubling the space available for the 30,000 attendees that came to the event that year. Since moving to the larger venue, PAX has used more of the WSCTC each year until 2009, when the entirety of the venue was utilized. Attendance during PAX 2009 was 60,750, and it has been indicated that a cap on ticket sales prevented an even larger number of people attending. Every PAX since 2009, the show has completely sold out prior to the show. And, in 2013, PAX Prime sold out in less than six hours.

    At PAX 2008, Holkins and Krahulik announced the inaugural PAX East would be held on March 26-28, 2010 in Boston's John B. Hynes Veteran's Memorial Convention Center. Much like the original PAX, the East version immediately outgrew its venue and, in 2011, moved to the newer and much larger Boston Convention & Exhibition Center.

    At PAX Prime 2012, Holkins and Krahulik announced a third iteration of PAX, which would take place in Melbourne, Australia in July 2013.

    PAX 2004

    Meydenbauer Center
    Meydenbauer Center

    The inaugural Penny Arcade Expo.

    • August 28-29, 2004
    • Meydenbauer Center
    • Bellevue, Washington
    • 3,300 Attendees
    • Omegathon Finals: Pong

    PAX 2005

    • August 26-28, 2005
    • Meydenbauer Center
    • Bellevue, Washington
    • 9,000 Attendees
    • Omegathon Finals: Combat

    PAX 2006

    • August 25-27, 2006
    • Meydenbauer Center
    • Bellevue, Washington
    • 19,323 Attendees
    • Keynote Speaker: Alex St. John
    • Omegathon Finals: Tetris

    PAX 2007

    WSCTC
    WSCTC

    The Penny Arcade Expo upgrades to Seattle.

    PAX 2008

    Jonathan Coulton
    Jonathan Coulton

    Attendance nearly doubles for the fourth year in a row.

    PAX 2009

    Giant Bomb Re-Reunion Tour
    Giant Bomb Re-Reunion Tour

    The Penny Arcade Expo sells out prior to the event for the first time.

    PAX East 2010

    Omegathon Finals
    Omegathon Finals

    The Penny Arcade Expo expands to the east coast.

    PAX Prime 2010

    Expo Hall
    Expo Hall

    The Penny Arcade Expo grows to take over more of Seattle.

    PAX East 2011

    BC&EC
    BC&EC

    After just one year, PAX East expands to a larger venue.

    PAX Prime 2011

    The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
    The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

    The eigth PAX Prime, and tenth overall PAX, expanded to utilize the entire WSCC with help from Halo Fest.

    PAX East 2012

    Expo Hall
    Expo Hall

    PAX invades Boston on Easter weekend.

    PAX Prime 2012

    Omegathon Finals
    Omegathon Finals

    PAX sells out in record time as tickets were gone within a few days of release.

    PAX East 2013

    Supergiant Games' Transistor
    Supergiant Games' Transistor

    The fourth PAX East was the biggest PAX to date.

    PAX Australia

    Melbourne Showgrounds
    Melbourne Showgrounds

    The first PAX to be held outside of the United States.

    PAX Prime 2013

    Outside on Day 1
    Outside on Day 1

    The tenth annual PAX and the first to cover four days.

    PAX East 2014

    Harmonix Royal Rumble
    Harmonix Royal Rumble

    The fifth PAX East.

    PAX Prime 2014

    Giant Bomb Guide to eSports Victory
    Giant Bomb Guide to eSports Victory

    The tenth anniversary of the Penny Arcade Expo.

    PAX Australia 2014

    New venue.
    New venue.

    The second annual PAX Australia moved to a larger venue as well as a later time in the year.

    PAX South 2015

    The inaugural PAX South made San Antonio the fourth city to host a Penny Arcade Expo.

    PAX East 2015

    Win Dave Lang's Money
    Win Dave Lang's Money

    The sixth PAX East.

    PAX Prime 2015

    PAX Rumble 2015
    PAX Rumble 2015

    The twelfth PAX in the Pacific Northwest.

    PAX Australia 2015

    The third annual PAX Australia.

    PAX South 2016

    The second PAX South.

    PAX East 2016

    The Mario Maker World Championships
    The Mario Maker World Championships

    The seventh Boston-based PAX.

    PAX West 2016

    FFXV Chocobo Uber Cars
    FFXV Chocobo Uber Cars

    The thirteenth PAX in the Pacific Northwest was renamed.

    PAX Australia 2016

    The fourth annual PAX Australia.

    PAX South 2017

    The first chance to play The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild on a Switch.
    The first chance to play The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild on a Switch.

    The third PAX South.

    PAX East 2017

    Custom beer for the Giant Bomb panel. Courtesy of Andy Hill.
    Custom beer for the Giant Bomb panel. Courtesy of Andy Hill.

    The eighth PAX East.

    PAX West 2017

    PAX RUMBLE V
    PAX RUMBLE V

    The fourteenth PAX in the Pacific Northwest.

    PAX Australia 2017

    The fifth annual PAX Aus.

    • PAX Australia 2017
    • October 27-29, 2017
    • Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre
    • Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
    • Keynote Speaker: Burnie Burns
    • Omegathon Finals: Crossy Road, played with a balance board controller made by rudeism

    PAX Unplugged

    The inaugural PAX Unplugged focuses on tabletop and card gaming.

    PAX South 2018

    The fourth annual PAX South.

    • PAX South 2018
    • January 12-14, 2017
    • Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center
    • San Antonio, Texas
    • Keynote Speaker:
    • Omegathon Finals:

    PAX East 2018

    PAXAMANIA IV
    PAXAMANIA IV

    The ninth annual PAX East and the first to cover four days.

    PAX West 2018

    The fifteenth annual PAX in the Seattle area.

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