PAX '08 already bigger than PAX '07
By
Brendan Sinclair, Senior Editor
Preregistrations have already topped total attendance from last year's show; more details on PAX East Coast revealed.
The 2008 Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) doesn't even kick off for a few more weeks, and it already qualifies as the biggest show yet. Penny Arcade president of operations and business development Robert Khoo confirmed to GameSpot that the fifth annual open-to-the-public gaming convention has already had more preregistration ticket sales than the total attendance of the 2007 show.
Last year, more than 39,000 gamers flocked to the Washington State Convention and Trade Center in downtown Seattle for a three-day celebration of all things gaming, complete with industry panels, tournaments, concerts, and a show floor with playable demos of upcoming games. This year's event will boast double the exhibition hall space to accommodate a larger crowd.
At this rate, PAX could produce a show to rival that of the biggest Electronic Entertainment Expos. Before the annual event was dramatically downsized, E3 2006 packed more than 60,000 into the Los Angeles Convention Center. This year's E3 Media & Business Summit attracted just over 4,000 invited attendees; neither show was open to the general public.
Khoo also filled in a few details about the East Coast PAX announced last week. The two shows will be staggered, with "PAX Prime" continuing in the fall, and PAX EC taking place in the spring. There's no set location for the show yet, but organizers have narrowed it down to about four locations. The inaugural PAX EC had originally been planned to take place this year, but Khoo said it was logistically impossible to organize it while still managing the growth of the main show.
PAX 2008 is set for August 29-31. For more on the show, check out the official Web site.
By
Brendan Sinclair, Senior Editor
Brendan Sinclair has been a games journalist since 1999. His tastes are eclectic, though he has a definite affinity for games with arcade roots. He's Canadian, but has also been at home in Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, and San Francisco.
39 comments
Every time I read stories like this, it makes me laugh a little inside because, during the second year, PAX invited members of the press (including Gamespot) to come and all refused because it was thought that PAX was a show that would go nowhere.
PAX is picking up the pieces from a gimper and gimper E3. Might as well Cancel E3 since it's pretty much on par with CES anyways.
Narrowed it down to four? What are they? Let's hear it for Orlando! (America's 2nd largest convention center!)
Well good thing PAX is doing good. I don't know what i would do if it wasn't considering that E3 is pretty much a lost cause.
Thank god Penny Arcade is giving the type of expo that used to make E3 highly sought after. I won't make it this year, but I hope to be there next time when I move to Seattle. PAX is doing what E3 should have continued to do.
Last year,PAX showcased many big games,some notable ones being Assassin's Creed,Mass Effect,and Zelda:Phantom Hourglass.It was really informative and did its job,so I expect to see more of that this upcoming PAX...I hope they show more Gears of War 2 and Fable 2,and since they showed Rock Band last year,they should show Rock Band 2 this time around.
Also in news, 10 is a bigger number than 9! Seriously, this is cool stuff. PAX was great a couple years back and I would love to go this year, but alas I cannot. Next year I will return for more DS PictoChat madness.
I'm so excited. This year will be my first time ever attending PAX (or ANY video game-related expo, period) XD
Hmm, if (or more like when) I visit US I think date around the time of PAX wouldn't be that bad idea. I'm totally fine with the GameSpot's feed for now but need to think about this again after couple years and see if I can manage my things for a few week trip. TGS is another one, maybe I'll eventually get to visit both countries at a right time.
That would be so exciting if this ever came to the east coast. I live in DC and I think I'd have to go
Can't wait to see what games come out of the Pax at the end of the month. I am hoping to see the release of release dates for some of those titles that still say Fall 08.
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