The question on many people’s minds after the announcement that there would be no more E3 as we knew it was whether or not PAX would be taking its place. With over ten thousand attendees last year and over twenty thousand this year, hosted by two of the most influential people in gaming, many thought it might be a good replacement.

The short answer is: No. E3 was a huge event for the press and industry reps. However, it tried to accomplish too much and suffered as a result. What the industry wanted from such an event was the chance to show or see the newest games and network with each other. What the fans wanted was a chance to rub shoulders with their idols and play some stuff before anyone else. The two audiences were not the same, which E3 tried, and failed, to separate. Beyond that, since E3’s original inception, the industry has changed significantly. The three major hardware manufacturer’s (Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo) can easily hold their own press conferences to showcase upcoming hardware and launch titles. Larger development companies can either hold their own conference, as Blizzard did this past year with BlizzCon, or band together around the platforms they serve to showcase their titles. During the PR & the Role of Community panel at PAX, the various representatives all agreed that they would prefer doing several smaller cons throughout the year, like PAX, instead of reinstating a large event like E3.

So, while PAX will continue to host innovative demos and sneak peaks at games, it will likely never reach the insanity that was E3. However, PAX has shown developers that there is another way to reach their audience and that may encourage other cons of this nature to be hosted around the country. This would be to the good of gamers and developers as it would provide multiple options throughout the year to showcase upcoming titles as well as more opportunities to reach the diverse gaming market.

The lovely and talented Dawn Burnell wrote this feature for us.