Pax East
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Wil Wheaton to deliver inaugural keynote at PAX East
Before the live Joystiq podcast recording, before the Blueberry Muffin Tops Breakfast, and before ... you know, all the news, the festivities of PAX East have to be kicked off with proper keynote address. Appropriately enough, the first-ever east coast iteration of the con will be introduced by the man who led the opening ceremonies of PAX 2007 -- child star, adult star, writer and world-renowned D&D cognoscenti, Wil Wheaton. If you're curious about what to expect from Wheaton's speech during the almost-sold-out expo, we suggest checking out his speech from three years ago. We imagine it will be in a similar style as that, only ... beardier.
Penny Arcade crew kicking off new book tour February 23
Between the thrice-weekly comic, the quad-monthly PATV episodes and the bi-yearly conventions, we find ourselves pretty saturated in Penny Arcade's artistic outings. Still, there are a few places in our lives where we could use some more of Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins' irreverent brand of jest -- like, for instance, our coffee table. That gap will soon be filled by the duo's new book, The Splendid Magic of Penny Arcade: The 11½ Anniversary Edition -- a tome which covers the history of the comic, the Penny Arcade Expo and the annual Child's Play charity. The book is due out February 23 -- at which point its creators will kick off a national book tour. Check past the jump to see if they're making a stop in your town!
Sold out: PAX East 3-day badges
Well, you can't say we didn't warn you. Writing on his Twitter feed, Penny Arcade money man Robert Khoo says that 3-day badges for PAX East have officially sold out. If you missed out, you can still get onto the show floor by buying a single-day pass. Be warned: Only 1,000 passes remain for Saturday, and with a Joystiq Blueberry Muffin Tops Breakfast that morning and a Joystiq Podcast Live recording that night, Saturday would be a very bad day to miss. [Thanks, Ben]
Announcing the First Annual Joystiq Blueberry Muffin Tops Breakfast at PAX East
Little did Team Penny Arcade know that by hosting PAX on our native East Coast, they'd be opening their event up to all kinds of Joystiq shennanigans. We'd like to announce the first today: The First Annual Joystiq Blueberry Muffin Tops Breakfast, brought to you by your fine friends at Malt-O-Meal. No, this is not a joke. If you're a PAX East attendee, then Saturday, March 27, for the low low price of free, you can join your friends from Joystiq as we collectively enjoy the planet's finest cereal: Blueberry Muffin Tops. The only catch? You're going to have to have one of 600 bracelets that will be distributed at the show. If you want details on how you can get one, you can find them after the jump. You're also gonna want to head to the event's Facebook page and follow it on Twitter: @JoystiqBBMT. If you think that's great (and it is, make no mistake) wait until you see what else we have planned ...
PAX East: Concerts, exhibitors announced
PAX East has finally announced its concerts and exhibitor line-up -- not that people seemed to need a reason to show up in droves. Musical performances include PAX favorites like Jonathan Coulton, Anamanaguchi and MC Frontalot. Major publishers attending the show include EA, Ubisoft, Microsoft and Nintendo. Local studios Harmonix and Turbine will be there, along with indie darlings The Behemoth and Twisted Pixel Games. The show will sell out shortly, so if you're planning on attending, now (like, right now) is the time to get registered. PAX East is shaping up to be a surprise break-out show, with several video game publishers recognizing the potential. The announced list of musical acts and exhibitors can be found after the break.
Over 60,000 PAX East attendees expected, around 1,000 tickets remaining
Following up on the warning that PAX East will sell out, Joystiq has learned that the inaugural East Coast edition of the show will have over 60,000 attendees. Robert Khoo, President of Operations and Biz Dev for Penny Arcade Inc., tells us that they can't release final figures until the show is over, but are "looking at more attendees than the last PAX in Seattle." PAX 2009 sold out and had 60,750 participants. PAX East organizers plan to make an announcement this week that the show has fewer than 1,000 3-day badges remaining. At this point, PAX East has no announced speakers, music guests nor sponsors. It seems like everyone is buying into an expectation that the show will deliver an experience similar to PAX West -- and you don't want to disappoint an audience this huge.
PSA: PAX East warns it'll sell out, get badges now
In very clear and certain terms, the PAX East site states: "FACT. We will sell out of badges for PAX East Coast 2010." What this means is that there will, oh wait, they get all caps-locky about this one too: "There will be NO BADGES AVAILABLE AT THE DOOR." For those who plan to attend and don't want to be left out in the cold (literally, it's freakin' March 26-28 in Boston), get registered now! Update: Robert Khoo, Penny Arcade, Inc. President of Operations and Business Development: "Sorry guys - no marketing ploy here. We were able to make the announcement about the sellout because our daily rate of tickets sales alone, with no announcement, would have sold our allotment of badges. What we're trying to prevent here are people coming up to the door and being disappointed that they can't get in. We tried to prevent this with PAX 2009 as well, and still some people flew in from out of town without getting badges beforehand."
Dishwasher dev announces Charlie Murder for Xbox Live Indie Games, coming 'March 2010'
Between Ska Studios' The Dishwasher last year, this year's I MAED A GAM3 W1TH Z0MBIES 1N IT!!!1, and the recent announcement of Charlie Murder for Xbox Live Indie Games, the nascent developer has certainly been establishing a name for itself. The game's Facebook page offers us a first look at the characters and a bit of the gameplay (which seems to be an arcade beat-em' up with punk rockers/zombies), as well as a glimpse into the fictional band's history. The game's announcement tells us that Charlie Murder follows the eponymous punk rock band on a side-scrolling journey to find the lead singer's girlfriend, Skelekitten, murdering everything in its path along the way. Ska Studios will be heading to PAX East and we've been told there's a "good chance" the game will be there, though a release window of "March 2010" means we might even be playing from the comfort of our couches before that. %Gallery-83449%
Interview: Ken Levine talks Irrational site, next game announcement and BioShock 2 relationship
Irrational Games' head-honcho Ken Levine spoke to us today about the developer's new website and stronger community focus -- but of course, we wanted more. We tried to get an answer on when the studio's new project will finally be announced, asked him what the company's plans are for PAX East, and finally got to the bottom of what his actual involvement is with BioShock 2 -- which isn't much. Joystiq: Why does a studio that's well-known for focused single-player experiences need such a robust community site? Ken Levine: I don't think that single player ... I don't think community is just for multiplayer. People like talking about the games. You go to Cult of Rapture, BioShock was a single player game and there's a lot of people on that site. People want to learn about us, they want to learn about other people playing the game, they want to learn what's happening at the studio. They want to know about the the integration behind stuff we did. Maybe I'm high, I just don't make the connection between multiplayer titles and a web page. We've known this change has been in the works since last March during GDC, where members of your studio were wearing shirts that hinted toward this name change. What was the impetus for putting so much effort into trying to create a community around Irrational with the site? Why was that so important? We've had a big community, back in the day when we did Freedom Force. We had a huge website that supported them. It kinda broke our heart a little bit when that went away and we converted to 2K Boston. When we took the name back, Take-Two was kind enough to agree and allow us to build our community. ... I really wanted a website that was about interacting with fans. I don't really care about the marketing stuff, that's handled elsewhere. This is not a site where you get five flash videos selling you a product. This is a site about the audience and about the audience getting a better understanding of what it's like to work here, be here and getting us a better understanding of what they like and don't like about our games.
PSA: PAX East early bird special ends tomorrow, need more 'enforcers'
Attention East Coasters: The chaps at Penny Arcade have miscalculated the size and scale of the first-annual PAX East event and have announced a need for more volunteers -- aka "Enforcers." While the name would suggest selected individuals would be granted the ability to bust skulls with full immunity, "Enforcers" are tasked with helping the event run as smoothly as possible (while wearing the same shirt for three days). Also, for those interested in attending the event -- and let's face it, you are -- early registration ends on December 31, 2009. So, if you're keen on saving money and know that a Boston trip in March 2010 is in your future, make sure to get your paperwork in before the clock strikes midnight.
PAX East open for panel, speaker submissions
The team behind the Penny Arcade Expo's journey to Boston has announced an open call for panel and speaker submissions that will run until January 11, 2010. In order to qualify for an open panel or speaker slot, submissions need to both entertain and inform. "We're looking for the kind of presentations that invoke intense reactions and discussion in the community," said Penny Arcade's Robert Khoo. Have a crazy or interesting idea of something you'd like to see at PAX East? Submit it. With plans to fill the event with up to 90 hours of content, there's plenty of room for submissions (provided they don't stink). PAX East is setting up shop in Boston, Massachusetts, from March 26 to 28, 2010. Make sure to register if you plan to join the party.
Early bird special on PAX East tickets
Although registration has been open since April, it appears that PAX East tickets are now discounted until the end of the year. The day pass currently costs $25, while the three-day pass is $45, which is a $5 savings off the previous pre-purchase price -- and a $10 cut off the door prices.It appears that hotel information is also up on the PAX East site. Although several of those hotels are definitely within tolerable "Boston in late-March walking distance," the Holiday Inn in Brookline, which appears to be the best value on the list, is a straight shot on the C line to the convention center.[Via Kotaku]
PAX attendance rises by 2k, 60,750 people geek out
After the recent announcement by the folks at Penny Arcade that PAX 2009 sold out the Washington State Convention and Trade Center, today they officially released attendance numbers for this year's Penny Arcade Expo. Speaking with Big Download, PA's Robert Khoo said 60,750 people packed into the convention center -- though he had earlier predicted "roughly 75,000" -- and that the show's organizers are looking into expansion plans for next year to accommodate more showgoers. We'd say with the unveiling of PAX East, some people may very well have stayed home in anticipation of a shorter travel distance early next year over this year's Washington-based soiree. This might help explain the relatively small attendance growth from 2008's 58,500 people to this 2009's numbers. However, Khoo said he's surprised how many people plan on attending both PAX East and next year's PAX, umm, West. We'll see you a year from now, Khoo -- with facts!
PAX 2009 sells out... er, is sold out
If you hadn't already registered for this week's Penny Arcade Expo and were hoping to snag a pass at the door, you don't want to read this tweet. If you did, you'd see the dreadful words: "It's official! PAX 2009 is completely sold out!" Oh, sorry about that -- awkward.So yes, it's official -- the PAX website has even updated with the news. We spoke with show organizers who assured us that they'd "love to let more people in," but that the venue itself has reached capacity based on the number of passes sold. (They're expecting roughly 75,000 attendees, up from last year's 58,500.)Looks like it's time to register for PAX East and start pricing airfare to Boston. Or, y'know, you could always borrow a friend's pass. We're sure they won't mind; heck, you shouldn't even ask.
PAX East registration is open ... only 356 days to go until show
With a little under a year to go, PAX East registration is now open. Taking place March 26-28 at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston, a three-day pass will cost $50, while individual day passes are $30 -- add $5 if you're planning on picking up your tickets the day of the show. So far, no exhibitors, participating hotels or schedule of events are posted. Take it from a Bostonian, you can stay in any hotel near a T stop (we should probably do a post detailing this) and make it to the convention center in under an hour. If you're planning on going to GDC, don't worry, that show takes place March 9-13 in San Francisco. It'll certainly be interesting to see how game marketing and PR treat this new high-profile East Coast gaming convention. Team Joystiq will be there in full force ... considering a third of our staff is within driving range.[Via Kotaku]
PAX 2008: The Penny Arcade Interview
Note: Photo above taken at interview A few hours before PAX 2008 opened its doors to the public last Friday, we had a chance to speak with Penny Arcade creators Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik -- for simplicity's sake referred to here by their respective pseudonyms Tycho and Gabe -- about the Expo, its future expansion, the intensity of Jenga and the Duke Nukem Forever Omegathon round that never was. Audio embedded below; we've also gone ahead and transcribed highlights from the interview. (Note: To make it easier to read, we've put Gabe's name in red and Tycho's name in blue.)[MP3] Download the Interview
PAX East coming late March 2010, venue revealed
Well, that was fast. After revealing that the East Coast iteration of Penny Arcade Expo is heading to Boston in 2010, we now have more specific details care of BigDownload and PA director of sales Mike Fehlauer. In an interview with BigD, Fehlauer confirmed that the window is "late March 2010" and will be at John B Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center, a venue with 193,000 square feet of exhibit space, roughly the same amount as this year's PAX. However, Fehlauer noted that the first PAX EC will not be planned as a huge vent first, with growth planned every year.Penny Arcade will handle exhibitor booking, event planning and other content, while the grunt work (labor unions, hotels, etc.) will be done by Reed Exhibitions (New York Comic-Con). When asked if there are any potential conflicts with the Game Developers Conference, Fehlauer explained that they feel the audiences are disparate (industry vs. consumer) and both events are very different.
First East Coast PAX coming to Boston in 2010
Straight out of the mouths of Tycho and Gabe (Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins) to Joystiq: The first East Coast PAX is coming to Boston in 2010. Check back later for our full interview with the Penny Arcade duo!
