PAX East 2021 Canceled

Conferences are still a no-go for the time being, even as much of the world begins to reopen. The real concern with a major gaming conference, in particular, is the huge crowds they draw. ReedPop and Penny Arcade, the organizing groups for PAX East, are canceling the 2021 event for these very concerns. Like E3, however, there will be some element of an event in order to showcase upcoming games.

The alternative PAX Online convention is going to take the place of the in-person events for 2021. This event is going to occur July 15-18. Before July, ReedPop plans to also hold an Indie Showcase for smaller developers and publishers. The real issue here is that there’s no sure-fire way to hold a safe conference. In a statement, the organizations explained, “We will only move forward with a live PAX once we are confident the show will be safe for everyone.”

As of now, PAX West and Unplugged, which are scheduled to occur on September 3-6 and December 10-12 respectively, are still on the books. The groups are cautiously optimistic that the events can take place safely. Vaccination efforts are underway worldwide and cases are dropping, although the U.S. is seeing a slight uptick again after many states rolled back restrictions in February.

As we near a day where these events will return, it’ll be interesting to see how quickly fans return to convention centers and auditoriums for new announcements. For now, virtual is the way to go in keeping everyone safe and feeling secure. Let us know if you’ve attended a virtual gaming conference in the comments!