PAX West 2021 tickets are still available two weeks later

Tickets for the annual Penny Arcade West Coast Video Game Fan Convention normally sell out incredibly fast, with choice tickets for the weekend’s event typically. gone in a few minutes. But 2021 isn’t a normal year, and in the looming shadow of a lingering global pandemic, tickets for this year’s PAX West, even at reduced capacity, are still available two weeks after they go on sale.

“Badges on sale” reads a button at the top of PAX West 2021 website, inviting the masses to come in and get their pass to the latest iteration of the original Penny Arcade Expo. Clicking on the button takes you to the sales page. While the option to purchase a four-day pass for the convention is listed as “sold out,” individual day passes for Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday are available at the purchase. At $ 60 apiece, you could buy four-day passes and only pay $ 10 more than a four-day pass.

This continued availability is most likely due to the ongoing covid-19 pandemic. The organizers of last year’s congress opted for a digital-only event because of the dangers of congregating in large groups as a deadly virus ravaged the world’s population. This year, Reedpop and Penny Arcade surprisingly decided to bet on the return of the live event, inviting game companies and gamers from around the world to converge in Seattle, Washington, September 3-6.

Even with better prospects in the United States for covid-19 at the time thanks to the rapid deployment of vaccines, the general consensus seems to be that it is still too early to plan for large gatherings. Many countries around the world do not have easy access to covid-19 vaccines, new variants of the virus are multiplying, and there are many people who just don’t want to be vaccinated for whatever reason. is. Although the organizers of PAX suggest that they will take certain precautions to avoid the potential spread of the virus, they will not need any sort of proof of vaccination. It’s a bold move for the series that already has a fake illness, PAX Pox, which bears its name.

Read more: Do you already feel comfortable attending PAX or another gaming event?

Judging by current ticket sales, the show’s daring reopening might not go ahead. PAX West 2021 was already planning to operate at reduced capacity, a measure intended to combat the spread of covid. The fact that there are still tickets available outside of this small pool is a possible indicator that many people still feel reluctant to attend a live event.

We’ve reached out to Penny Arcade and Reedpop for feedback on ticket availability and will update if we have a response. With all the four-day passes counted, it seems doubtful that PAX West 2021 will be scrapped altogether. It just might turn out to be the smallest and most intimate Penny Arcade Expo of all time.