PAX West is on… for now

It’s too early to definitively say

Most every upcoming major video game convention in the United States has been canceled because of COVID-19 restrictions. However, one of the biggest tentatively has the green light… at least for the time being.

Penny Arcade has sent an update about PAX West that states it still intends to hold the convention as currently scheduled — over Labor Day weekend in Seattle. PAX organizers say “As plans for PAX West take shape, show organizers are optimistic and will continue to carefully monitor the latest developments regarding COVID-19, working with health officials at all levels of government and adhering to the guidelines of the CDC and WHO to ensure our event is safe, health-conscious, and responsible.”

Of course, this optimism is mostly rooted in the fact that PAX West is still more than four months away, and that no one really knows the timeline for corona clearing up. Last week, San Diego Comic-Con was canceled as it became obvious that it’d be impossible to host a huge convention — including all the logistics around pulling it together — by late July. Penny Arcade is probably working with similar time constraints, meaning we can likely look to early June or so as a cancellation target if conditions don’t improve. But, for now, PAX West is all systems go.