The organisers of PAX East, one of the largest gaming conventions and expos in the world, have announced that this year’s in-person event has been cancelled.
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The organisers shared the news via a blogpost on the official PAX website on Monday, March 29. The statement cites the ongoing coronavirus pandemic as the reason for the June event’s cancellation.
“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,” organisers Reedpop and Penny Arcade said.
The organisers continued: “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.”
In lieu of PAX East’s cancellation, Reedpop and Penny Arcade have announced the return of PAX Online from July 15-18. The digital showcase will “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”.
In December last year, the organisers announced “with optimism” in-person events for PAX East, PAX West, PAX Australia and PAX Unplugged. While PAX East has been cancelled, the organisers are “cautiously optimistic” that the three remaining events will proceed with live events.
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