PAX 2008 breaks record with 58,000 attendees! East Coast PAX set for 2010

Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) logo

PAX 2008 (Penny Arcade Expo ’08) was a huge success with a record-breaking 58,500 people attending this years convention at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center in Seattle, Washington (USA). The amount of attendees for their 2007 show topped out at 39,000 so this years show completely shattered last years.

Thanks to the growing success of PAX, they will even be branching out to the East Cost of the United States with a PAX 2010 show scheduled in the great Massachusetts capitol city of Boston!

PAX has grown hugely in recent years as it has ascended in prominence (even worldwide) since the shrinking of the E3 Expo. Helping in that endeavor is the fact that the show is open to the public. In addition, all the major console players (Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft) have supported the show by showing off their wares, as has third party companies like Activision and Blizzard (two companies that skipped E3 2008). The show is run by Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins who are also the creators of the shows namesake, the Penny Arcade web-comic.

PAX 2008 was anchored by a keynote address from BioShock creator and 2K Boston head Ken Levine. The event also offered a number of panels helmed by industry veterans, covering such topics as the rise of democratized game design, the pitfalls of player feedback, Ryan Payton post-Metal Gear Solid, and women in the game industry.