Overview
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
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
The Penny Arcade Expo upgrades to Seattle.
PAX 2008
Attendance nearly doubles for the fourth year in a row.
PAX 2009
The Penny Arcade Expo sells out prior to the event for the first time.
PAX East 2010
The Penny Arcade Expo expands to the east coast.
PAX Prime 2010
The Penny Arcade Expo grows to take over more of Seattle.
PAX East 2011
After just one year, PAX East expands to a larger venue.
PAX Prime 2011
The eigth PAX Prime, and tenth overall PAX, expanded to utilize the entire WSCC with help from Halo Fest.
PAX East 2012
PAX invades Boston on Easter weekend.
PAX Prime 2012
PAX sells out in record time as tickets were gone within a few days of release.
PAX East 2013
The fourth PAX East was the biggest PAX to date.
PAX Australia
The first PAX to be held outside of the United States.
PAX Prime 2013
The tenth annual PAX and the first to cover four days.
PAX East 2014
The fifth PAX East.
PAX Prime 2014
The tenth anniversary of the Penny Arcade Expo.
PAX Australia 2014
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
The sixth PAX East.
PAX Prime 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 seventh Boston-based PAX.
PAX West 2016
The thirteenth PAX in the Pacific Northwest was renamed.
PAX Australia 2016
The fourth annual PAX Australia.
PAX South 2017
The third PAX South.
PAX East 2017
The eighth PAX East.
PAX West 2017
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
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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