PAX Aus is only a few weeks away, and the excitement is reaching a fever pitch. And to add to that excitement, the full exhibitor list for PAX has also been fully unveiled, and there are some big names (and not so big). Some of these exhibitors have already been announced on social media over the past few weeks, but now we have the full list. Such an extensive list of awesomeness is overwhelming, but don’t worry because I’m here to give you the rundown and sprinkle in some of my own personal must-plays!
Some big names have been confirmed to attend PAX Aus this year. SEGA will be at the show again this year with a handful of titles to show off, including one of my most anticipated games this year, Sonic X Shadow Generations. They’ll also have demos for Metaphor: ReFantazio (a game similar in gameplay to Persona) and Two Point Museum to try out at their booth. Ubisoft will be making a return to the show for the first time since 2019 and they're bringing a slew of their released titles for people to get their hands on. Assassin’s Creed Shadows was meant to be playable on the show floor, but recent delays mean it will no longer be. There will still be a panel with the Assassin’s Creed Shadows Game Director Charles Benoit called Bringing Assassin’s Creed Shadows to Life with Ubisoft Quebec.
Blizzard will be at the show celebrating the launch of Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred with photo opportunities, artwork, and even competitions over the weekend. Similarly, Bethesda will have Elder Scrolls and Fallout-themed areas where you can hang out with friends (or make new ones). Square Enix is once again bringing Final Fantasy XIV Online to PAX and will allow attendees to fight an early game boss and win some free merch (you can never say no to free stuff). Bandai Namco will be bringing Dragon Ball Z: Sparking! ZERO, so you’ll get to test the game out before buying it the same day.
The tabletop area also got some fun announcements over the past few weeks, including confirming that Bushiroad (Cardfight!! Vanguard) will be at the show again. I can now rest easy knowing I can buy even more Cardfight!! cards. Aside from games, Crunchyroll, BlackMilk Clothing, and big names in the PC world, such as AFTERSHOCK PC AND ASUS, will have a presence at PAX (they also normally give away a lot of free stuff).
Amidst all these exciting exhibitors, there are a few that I know I must check out. The obvious one is Sonic X Shadow Generations, which I’m frothing at the mouth to play. I loved Sonic Generations and Shadow the Hedgehog, so the fact that they’re combining the two is a dream come true. It also looks like they’re leaning heavily into Shadow’s history with Black Doom and such, which has only made me more excited to get a taste of the game at PAX. I hope the Metal Overlord boss fight will be playable; that boss music slaps hard. I was keen to go hands-on with Assassin’s Creed Shadows, but with the recent delay and confirmation that it will no longer be playable at the show, I’m quite disappointed. I’ll still check out the panel with the game director, as I’m sure it’ll be interesting, but it still sucks.
On a brighter note, I will be checking out Dragon Ball Z: Sparking! ZERO, even though I’ve not fully watched the series, but the game looks fun as all hell, which is enough to get me intrigued. I’ll also definitely be swinging by the Cardfight!! booth to pick up a booster box or two to fuel my card-collecting obsession. I’ll also check out the Crunchyroll booth and see what fun things they have in store.
And there’s your breakdown of some of the exhibitors that will be at PAX Aus 2024. We’ll be covering the show right here on Couch Soup, so check back each day over the weekend to read previews, reactions, and everything about PAX Aus 2024!
Are you going to PAX Aus 2024? What booths are you going to check out? Any games you want to try? Let us know in the comments where we can share in the PAX excitement.
