PAX is adapting to the current worldwide climate and the COVID-19 pandemic, and Reedpop has today announced that PAX Online will be happening this September. Fans sad that PAX Australia and PAX West have been cancelled will not have to miss out entirely.
PAX has announced that the event will run from September 12 to 20, and it'll be completely free. That's nine full days of content, three times the usual length of PAX--and the organizers are promising "a steady 24/7 stream of content, events, discussions, and gameplay." There will, in fact, be three separate streams of content running constantly throughout the event.
While there will be changes from what PAX attendees are used to, many of the elements that we usually see at PAX--including esports content, game demos, panels, and merch will be made available online. "In addition to digital adaptations of the panels, concerts, and competitions that pack our theatres at a traditional PAX, we’ve got some new and exciting stuff as well as a few surprises planned," the announcement reads.
The BIGGEST gaming event of the year is approaching, PAX Online - Welcome Home (from home) - Sept 12-20.
— PAX Australia (@PAXAus) June 16, 2020
An all-new digital event for the gaming community to hang out, interact, and immerse themselves 24/9, in a virtual playground. For more info: https://t.co/4OckY1UuvF #paxaus pic.twitter.com/k4W1JhU0sn
Panel submissions are now open, and will remain so until July 24. Developers can now submit their games for the PAX Indie Showcase, and the first wave of merch preorders are now available. The organizers are also promising "chat rooms, tournament-aggregation systems, and the means to find groups to game with all week long."
This is not the only event to move online due to the COVID-19 pandemic--Comic-Con has a 2020 digital event, and E3 has been replaced with numerous streams.
Stay tuned for more news on PAX Online in the lead-up to the event.
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