The last few years have not been kind to gaming conventions, and PAX Australia is no exception. The Melbourne convention was cancelled in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and then again in 2021 for the same reason. But it’s trying again in 2022, with a new show confirmed for October 7-9, 2022.
As usual, it’ll take place at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre. Tickets aren’t on sale yet, and details on those are coming in a future update. All we know about PAX Australia 2022 so far is that it’s happening.
PAX Australia will take place during Melbourne International Games Week, which hosts “games-related” events from October 1-9, ranging industry-focused meet-ups, public events, through to the ominous-sounding “education” (jokes aside, these are “events designed for educators of all levels and explore the future of games in education”). So if you do fancy getting on the computer for a game every now and then, Melbourne sounds like a good place to be come spring.
At this stage it’s completely unknown who will be at PAX Australia in the way of big gaming industry celebrities, but in the past big name attendees have included Phil Spencer, devs from CD Projekt Red and Arkane, and more.
And chances are this year’s PAX will go ahead. Australian states imposed strict lockdowns during the delta strain of Covid-19, but didn’t really impose any restrictions in response to the more recent—and ongoing—omicron variant.