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Canceling PAX East is disappointing but the smart and safe thing to do right now

By Matthew Liebl

BOSTON, MA - MARCH 23: In this photo provided by Nintendo of America, Pokemon fans gather at the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity gaming lounge at PAX East at Boston Convention & Exhibition Center on March 23, 2013 in Boston, Massachusetts, to enjoy a variety of activities in celebration of the launch of Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity on March 24 for the Nintendo 3DS system. (Photo by Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images for Nintendo)
BOSTON, MA - MARCH 23: In this photo provided by Nintendo of America, Pokemon fans gather at the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity gaming lounge at PAX East at Boston Convention & Exhibition Center on March 23, 2013 in Boston, Massachusetts, to enjoy a variety of activities in celebration of the launch of Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity on March 24 for the Nintendo 3DS system. (Photo by Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images for Nintendo) /
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At the end of last year, Penny Arcade released tentative dates for when PAX could return in 2021. PAX East was scheduled to take place between June 3-6. Unfortunately, that event has now been canceled — or rather reworked into the virtual event, PAX Online.

While progress has been made in the fight against the COVID-19 global pandemic, the battle is far from won. The United States is still averaging around 60,000 cases per day. And although vaccination efforts are ramping up, there are concerns about another surge.

So while the cancelation of PAX East is disappointing, it’s the right thing to do right now. There’s no sense in risking the health and safety of guests, developers and exhibitors — not to mention the millions of others who would be impacted secondhand.

The prospective dates for PAX East were based on an optimistic timeline and we’re not quite out of the woods just yet. There’s no sense in rushing a comeback only for it to lead to another surge in cases. Let’s continue to wear masks and get vaccinated, and hopefully, the numbers will go start to go down more.

In the meantime, Penny Arcade and ReedPop will host a virtual event in July. PAX Online will run from July 15-18 and engage the gaming community in a safe and fun way.  A full statement regarding the PAX 2021 schedule can be read below:

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Penny Arcade remains cautiously optimistic for the remainder of the year. They are hoping to host in-person festivities with PAX West and PAX Unplugged scheduled for September 3-6 and December 10-12. Hopefully, these shows go on because I know we’re all ready to get back to normality.

The good thing about the video game industry is that we’re at least still able to enjoy it virtually. Online panels with developers and gaming personalities can be streamed on YouTube or Twitch. Demos for games can be released to the public. And announcements can be made at any time.

Sure, it’s not the same as experiencing all of the excitement in person with thousands of other passionate gamers. It will happen again but we’re just not there yet.

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