PAX East 2020: What Can We Expect?

2020. The next Pax East seems like a lifetime away, but buzz is already building for next year’s gaming extravaganza. For several years, the annual PAX East convention has acted as a prestigious platform for developers to showcase their upcoming wares. Not only that, but the event allows fans to mingle with like-minded individuals. This is THE event where people from all walks of life assemble as a collective, to celebrate the video games industry!

Recently, PAX East 2019 gave us a tantalizing glimpse at what’s in store for the gamer – with a plethora of shock surprises and red-hot reveals. Following the triumphant success of Pax East 2019, what enticing revelations can we expect a year on from now? Well, before we explore some of the mouth-watering possibilities, here’s a summary of the convention, and what it represents.

What is Pax East?

Originally, PAX, short for Penny Arcade Expo, was a three-day event, that is, up until 2018. Once Pax East became established on the world stage, it soon evolved into a festival experience. From then on, it incorporated the very best in tabletop and video games entertainment. Aside from hosting tournaments, play-hubs exist for fans to trial new and existing technology.

Additionally, PAX East offers concerts, various panel chats, and a dedicated gaming exhibit. These allow luminaries in the field, such as high-profile dev’s and publishers, to show-off their latest titles in development.

Perhaps more importantly, PAX East gives gamers a one-off chance to meet the people responsible for bringing their favorite games to fruition with personal Q&A’s, tech demonstrations and cutting-edge exposés from those spearheading the games. There’s little wonder PAX East has seen a surge in popularity since its inception back in 2010.

Onwards and Upwards: The Success of PAX East 2019

In April just gone, PAX East surprised us all with an exclusive trailer of Borderlands 3, Gearbox’s future iteration to the infamous “looter-shooter” series. Though various teasers online before the event pointed towards a reveal, the Borderlands 3 footage inevitably stole the show, blowing minds in the process. All the while, its long-awaited appearance issued fans of the franchise the confirmation they’d been desperately craving for so long.

But the party didn’t stop there. During Gearbox Software’s panel, a remastered version of the first game in the saga was unveiled to the masses. Interestingly, Gearbox chose to skip E3 and the Game Awards, both of which are well-established events in the industry. Perhaps this is and illustration of the importance of PAX East and its relevance in the industry since those humble origins.

Included in the deep roster of games was the long-awaited beat-’em-up brawler “Streets of Rage 4“, alongside the abstract indie game “alt-frequencies”, and many more. This wholesome list of headline acts goes to show how far the event has evolved. On that note, with significant momentum going into next year, what can we expect to see at PAX East 2020?

Pax East 2020: What Can We Expect

So, with PAX East 2019 firmly behind us, the focus now shifts to next year. There are a few worthwhile candidates that could grace the PAX East stage. Though the line-up is far from assembled, no game is off-limits. Besides, the success of PAX East is bound to arouse the attention of Dev’s worldwide.

Perhaps the most anticipated game in history, Cyberpunk: 2077, is set to release in 2020. Though rumors have been circulating of a late 2019 store date, the odds are CD Projekt Red‘s sci-fi RPG will come out in 2020. The hype and expectation around this game have ascended into overdrive status ever since the 48-min teaser dropped last year. And for a valid reason – Cyberpunk 2077 aims to raise the bar, not just on an aesthetic level, but also from a technical perspective. It’s a futuristic, science-fiction amusement park just begging to be explored.

Will CD Projekt Red do the unthinkable and showcase more of the game exclusively at PAX East 2020? It certainly worked for Borderlands 3. With that in mind, a Cyberpunk 2077 demo would be just as, if not more, effective. This will surely be a dream come true for many fans!

Next up, we have Bethesda. In truth, 2019 has been a turbulent time for the company, and that may be putting it mildly. However, if ever there’s a period to bounce back, it’s 2020. Recently, at PAX 2019, Todd Howard announced to the world that Bethesda would not be showing either Starfield or The Elder Scrolls VI at E3 this year, urging fans to wait a little longer. Could this mean Bethesda is holding out for PAX East 2020? In my eyes, there is every chance that may be the case.

Conclusion

All in all, PAX East continues to accelerate in popularity with each year that passes. One thing we can declare with a sense of self-assured certainty is that PAX East 2020 will certainly dish up a host of blockbuster exclusives. Not least so, if this year acts as an accurate indication of what lies tantalizingly on the horizon! Are you excited for the PAX East 2020 extravaganza? I know I am!