Do we dare to dream? Is PAX Australia really going to come back in 2022? Actually? For real this time?
It seems like it might be about to do just that. The official PAX Aus social media accounts sprang to life this afternoon, sharing a logo for the 2022 edition of the show.
The convention had been held annually in Melbourne since 2013, but has been cancelled twice since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, which has been the show’s home since 2014, was converted into an ad-hoc testing centre for many months. The 2021 show was making strides but was again cancelled after the Delta variant began to spread.
After the permanent cancellation of PAX South late last year, there were concerns that PAX Aus might meet a similar fate. Thankfully, that does not appear to be the case. At least, not this year.
hello! pic.twitter.com/sPSlH8ZtXp
— PAX Australia (@PAXAus) February 1, 2022
Should the show return, it will likely be still at reduced capacity and with full vaccination and mask mandates in place. PAX will likely announce preliminary dates in the next few days, and we’ll keep you posted on any news that eventuates there.
For now, let us come together and hope that the show can get back on its feet this year. For many, it’s as much a communion as it is a convention, and it has been sorely missed. I want to sit in a theatre and listen to clever people talk about the craft of game development. I want to pull up at a drop-in D&D game in Tabletop and make new friends. I want to see journo mates. I want to see that weird pirate ship they keep in a tiny pond outside. I want one of those overpriced but delicious burgers Bethesda always puts on at South Wharf.
I’m ready to have PAX Aus back.
Keep an eye on the PAX site and socials for more over the next few days.
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