Pax East
Latest
A new 'Tales from the Borderlands' game is coming this year
It will feature all new characters and adventures.
PAX East is canceled, online event planned for July
Another year, another PAX cancelation. But organizers are "cautiously optimistic" about in-person events later this year.
PAX plans a return to in-person events in 2021
The first, PAX East, is scheduled to take place in June.
'Fuser' is 'Rock Band' and 'DropMix' without the expensive clutter
10 years ago you'd be forgiven for calling Harmonix "the Rock Band guys," because there was a three-year span where that's all the developer produced. And for the past few years Harmonix has gone all in on VR, with titles like Audica and uh, Rock Band VR. There was one notable diversion in that time, a card-based mobile game called DropMix where you mixed up musical tracks using NFC-enabled cards. But that never really took off. However, the mechanics introduced in it do live in again in Harmonix's upcoming multiplatform game, Fuser.
'Animal Crossing: New Horizons' has more customization options than ever
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is one of Nintendo's most anticipated games of 2020. We've seen plenty of the game's content from Nintendo Direct streams, but this weekend, fans are getting their first hands-on experience with Nintendo's island life simulator. PAX East attendees have reported several new details that weren't previously mentioned by Nintendo, which USgamer has rounded up. While none of them are particularly surprising, they do show that Nintendo is listening to fans' feedback.
Harmonix’s next music-making game puts your DJ skills to the test
Harmonix, the developer behind Rock Band and Dance Central, is back with a new music-making game: Fuser. Players will become music festival DJs, mixing vocals, bass lines, beats and riffs from artists like Billie Eilish, Lil Nas X, Lizzo, 50 Cent, The Chainsmokers and Imagine Dragons. They'll earn points for timing and crowd feedback, and they'll be able to share their mixes with friends.
Sony pulls out of PAX East over coronavirus concerns
Sony is pulling out of PAX East this year owing to coronavirus concerns. The company had planned to showcase a number of upcoming PlayStation 4 games there, including offering gamers their first chance to try a demo of The Last of Us Part II.
Gearbox officially announces 'Borderlands 3'
After several teasers over the last few weeks, Gearbox Software officially revealed Borderlands 3 at Pax East. The first trailer reveals the long-awaited sequel will include over a billion guns (including some with legs), plenty of familiar faces (such as a saxophone-playing Brick and Tiny Tina) and some new characters. It also showcases a number of locations, including a swamp, desert and city full of highrise buildings, as well as plenty of enemies for you to take down.
Gearbox teases 'Borderlands 3' reveal on March 28th
Yes, an honest-to-goodness Borderlands sequel (not a pre-sequel) appears to be on the horizon. Gearbox has posted a teaser for what's likely to be the Borderlands 3 reveal at PAX East on March 28th. It doesn't say much about the game, but there's not much mystery here -- not when it features Borderlands' signature cell-shaded art and a "3" at the top.
WoW Archivist: 10 years, 10 amazing moments, part 2
WoW Archivist explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold? Reflecting back on 10 years of WoW, I find it hard not to smile and shake my head in disbelief. If someone had told me early in 2004 that a game would be released that year and I'd still be playing it week in, week out in 2015, I never would have believed it. If you missed part 1, I covered world PvP near Uldaman, founding a guild, getting lost in Gnomeregan, earning my Rhok'delar bow, and my first night in Outland. Here are five more amazing moments. 6. The Wrathgate. In the weeks after Wrath of the Lich King launched, one achievement got instant attention in your guild chat: Veteran of the Wrathgate. Those who had already experienced the awesomeness congratulated the player who earned it. Those who hadn't waited in anticipation of that moment (and hopefully remained unspoiled until they did). And those who had just earned the achievement were left saying, simply, "whoa." It's a quest line that deserves its own Archivist column someday, so I won't go into detail about the lead-up to this incredible event. Once you completed it, the cinematic began. Going into it, we thought we knew what Wrath was all about. We thought it would be straightforward: The Lich King attacked us, so the Horde and Alliance would put aside their differences to take him down. No mess, no fuss. Four and a half minutes later, the champion of each faction was (apparently) dead, the Forsaken were in open rebellion, everything was on fire, and we realized that this story would be far messier and more interesting than we thought. Afterward, we gazed over the charred remains on the battlefield and listened to the screams of the dying, shellshocked from this devastating moment. It was over, or so it seemed. But Blizzard had another surprise in store for us a few quests later: the Battle for the Undercity.
Win part of a $50,000 pool at Guild Wars 2's PAX East tournament
Fancy yourself a not-half-bad PvP player? Are you keen on the notion of winning enough money to avoid work or school for a year so that you can concentrate on MMO gaming? Then step right up to Guild Wars 2's World Tournament Series Championship at PAX East next spring, where the winners will dip into a $50,000 prize pool. The tournament will take place on March 7th, 2015, at the gaming convention in Boston. Players from several countries are welcome to face off against each other, although teams will have to compete and win in earlier qualifiers to make it to the championship. You'll have to be at least 18 and from the US, Canada, Mexico, or the EU to participate. A cool perk of making it to the championship is that ArenaNet will foot the bill for teams' airfare, hotel, and a per diem.
PAX East 2015 badges on sale, 3-day already sold out
Go, go, go! If you're in the market for passes to PAX East 2015 in Boston, hurry to get some before they're sold out. They just went on sale and three-day badges are all gone. Friday, Saturday and Sunday badges are $45 each, and three-day badges were $95. Now they're simply non-existent. Can't say we never warned you, though. PAX East runs from March 6, 2015, to March 8, 2015, at the Boston Convention and Expo Center in Massachusetts. Speaking of running – do that! [Image: PAX]
WildStar dev donates LEGO sculpture to Child's Play charity
WildStar developer Carbine Studios made a special donation at PAX East this year that included a $10,000 check and a 50,000-piece LEGO Rocket House that will be auctioned off for the Child's Play charity. The rocket house LEGO sculpture stands three feet tall and four feet long and was created by LEGO artist Mariann Asanuma specifically for the charity. The sculpture will be auctioned off at the annual Child's Play Dinner later this year with all proceeds going towards partner hospitals and facilities. "We wanted to not only find a fun way to bring a small piece of WildStar to life, but also see the efforts go to a good cause," said Mona Hamilton, vice president of brands, Carbine Studios. "Child's Play is a wonderful charity doing really great things with the gaming industry and we're looking forward to seeing the result of the auction later this year. It was also important for us to say thanks by giving back to the Boston community; they've been great to us over the years at PAX East." You can check out a video of the LEGO sculpture being assembled just after the jump below. [Source: Carbine press release]
The Nexus Telegraph: In which no WildStar injuries happened
My performance on the dance floor during PAX East 2013's WildStar party is the stuff of dark legends (in my mind, anyway), but it was not replicated this year. Indeed, when I tried to get into this year's WildStar community party, the entranceway was inaccessible due to the sheer mass of people. As I naturally handle crowds about as well as a Mechari handles knock-knock jokes, I opted to turn around and go back to my hotel room. There was a Ghostbusters marathon on, so it was still kind of awesome. This did not, however, mean that the convention was devoid of interesting stories; it just was devoid of stories in which I sustained injuries greatly impacting my normal hiking routes. So let's talk about what things really stuck out in my mind through the whole con. For my money, that comes down to the focus on the endgame and a really stupid statement. Where to start?
PAX East 2014: The future looks bright for the next generation of MMOs
While last weekend saw a surprising lack of noteworthy announcements at PAX East 2014, one panel gathered several industry veterans to answer a not-so-simple question: How does the future look for the MMO industry as a whole? The panel, titled Next Generation MMO Games: What's Next for Multiplayer Trends?, featured Ian Fisher (Director of Design, Robot Entertainment), Stephen Frost (Game Design Producer, Carbine), Dave Georgeson (Director of Development, SOE), Kjartan Pierre Emilsson (Principal Game Designer, CCP), and Stephen Johnston (President, Guild Launch) in a roundtable discussion about where MMOs have been and where they're headed. While panelists agreed that there is a huge barrier to entry when funding, developing, and launching a new MMO, their outlook was positive overall, and in general they believe there is still plenty of room for growth in the industry.
PAX East 2014: Can World of Warcraft's garrisons live up to the hype?
Like many players, I have very mixed feelings about the garrisons being added to World of Warcraft's latest expansion, Warlords of Draenor. At this year's PAX East, I sat down with Blizzard Entertainment to discuss the feature, and the studio reps explained garrisons as a way for Blizzard to bring a bit of Warcraft into the WoW universe. As a fan of WarCraft 3, I left the interview feeling hopeful and excited. But the more I thought about it, the more I began to worry that garrisons will boil down to one of three things: an expanded version of Mists of Pandaria's farms, a new daily quest hub, or just another time-sink that will keep players isolated from one another.
The Think Tank: Thoughts on PAX East 2014
PAX East came and went last weekend, and as we do most years, the Massively writers got together to discuss the highlights and the disappointments of the con. Join the conversation -- what did you think was the best (and worst) MMO or reveal at PAX?
PAX East 2014: WildStar shows off Warplots at last
Do you want to go to war in WildStar? Then you're going to want a stronghold. No, that's not right, you're going to want a fortress. You're going to want a fortification that makes others quake in terror. And then you're going to want to drop that fortification down on your enemy's front lawn and claim their territories while laying waste to their fortifications. Welcome to Warplots. They're the game's answer to player-made fortresses and high-end battlegrounds all at once. More specificially, they're team-based 40 vs. 40 maps that drop you into a race to tear down your enemy. At either end sits the carefully constructed fortress held by each team, in the middle sit resource nodes, and both sides are pushed together to be the last side standing or the one putting a fortress back together post-battle. Want to know more? That's a good thing. Take a look at the typical WildStar trailer past the cut, and then let's talk details.
PAX East 2014: Upsilon Circuit is an MMO like no other
A lot of what I see in the MMO industry is fairly predictable. That's not an insult; it's just that most of the new games you see are either a result of elegant mechanics solving a problem that's always been there or a new take on an old system, and that's OK. There's nothing wrong with taking old favorites and refining them. But then I see something like Upsilon Circuit and I wind up being completely blown away because the very idea is a fundamental rewriting of how we understand MMOs. Upsilon Circuit is a new game currently in very early development from indie studio Robot Loves Kitty (of Legend of Dungeon fame), and when I say early, I do mean early. The animations are rough, the build is very much in a proof-of-concept stage rather than a fully playable state, and none of that matters. The game is the love child of Twitch Plays Pokémon, the Hunger Games, and Diablo III, a game that not only encourages streaming but demands it while interacting with the audience
PAX East 2014: Guild Wars 2 on the Feature Pack and beyond
If you're a Guild Wars 2 fan, we all know what you're excited about today. After a year(ish) of small incremental patches and living story, the game is rolling out a big patch full of features appropriately dubbed the Feature Pack. It's not new content, but it's a lot of big bonuses and improvements to the ways that players already play the game's existing content. And we got to see a bit of it in action at PAX East. Some of the information about how these features will work has already been discussed, but not everything, and seeing all of the improvements in action definitely gave a sense of tangible change not visible in development blogs. It's part of a shift in ethos for the development team, as well; rather than trying to roll out changes along with Living Story updates, ArenaNet is implementing a big set of improvements at once to make the whole update feel meatier.
