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Press release:
BOSTON – March 16, 2023.
PAX East 2023, the East Coast’s most-attended gaming event, returns to the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center (BCEC) from Thursday, March 23, through Sunday, March 26, for a weekend-long celebration of all things gaming.

Charles Brungardt, GRAMMY-winning CEO of IllFonic, the asymmetric multiplayer experts behind Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed, Predator: Hunting Grounds, and Friday the 13th: The Game kicks off the fun with the Storytime Keynote followed by exciting panels from Devolver Digital, as well as classic tournaments taking place in the PAX Arena.

Chuck will take the stage on Thursday, March 23, at noon ET for a fun and personal keynote: A programmer and recording engineer, Brungardt helped record albums for Mary J. Blige, Joss Stone, John Legend, and Snoop Dogg, among many others. Winner of a GRAMMY for his work with frequent collaborator and fellow IllFonic co-founder Raphael Sadiiq of the recent Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur.

Brungardt and IllFonic helped define the asymmetric multiplayer genre through their work on titles played by millions like EVOLVE, Friday the 13th The Game, Predator: Hunting Grounds, and most recent, self-published release: Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed. Brungardt even returned to his musical roots last year by contributing tracks for IllFonic’s first original IP, Arcadegeddon.

The jam-packed PAX Arena presented by DoorDash kicks off with Stream Stars 9 on Thursday, March 23, where fan favorite YouTubers and content creators will go head to head for a $5,000 prize pool and ultimate internet bragging rights against returning champ AbdallahSmash026, who will defend his crown against the only person to best him, 8owser16, and six others vying for the throne.

Streamers Lanaraee, DPiddy, 5up, and Khleo Thomas will team up with the best players in North America for the PAC-MAN 99 Challenge Finals to see who will claim the coveted title of PAC-ONE on Friday, March 24. Almost Pro $10K Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Open tournament returns to PAX March 23–25, open to all PAX East 2023 badge holders, and attendees can register online here. On the final day of PAX East, Sunday, March 26, Nintendo’s Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Championship Cup and Splatoon 3 North American Championship return for another showdown on Boston’s beloved esports arena.

PAX East 2023 attendees can join Devolver Digital and Massive Monster for a developer chat about the hit roguelike Cult of the Lamb, and get a behind-the-scenes look at the development of Mageseeker: A League of Legends Story with Riot Forge and Digital Sun at the Mageseeker: A Developer’s Story panel.

“PAX East is four days, but the planning for the next one starts the day we wrap the show,” said Jerry Holkins, co-founder of Penny Arcade and PAX.

“From the show floor to the show store, it’s one big thing. And we can’t wait to show it off.”

Saturday-only badges are sold out, but one-day badges for Thursday, Friday, and Sunday are still available for USD $67. A limited number of four-day badges are still available for USD $247. All badges can be purchased via the official PAX East site.

For travel info, event schedules, FAQs, and more, check out the PAX East website, and follow PAX on Twitter, Facebook, Twitch, YouTube, and Instagram.

About PAX
PAX, or Penny Arcade Expo, is a festival for gamers to celebrate gaming culture. First held in Seattle in 2004, PAX has nearly doubled in size each successive year, with PAX Prime 2014 selling out of tickets in a matter of minutes.

Connecting the world’s leading game publishers with their most avid and influential fans, PAX expanded with a second show in Boston in 2010, and a third in San Antonio in 2015, making it the three largest gaming shows in North America. The first international PAX was held in Melbourne, Australia in 2013. In 2017, Penny Arcade established PAX Unplugged, its first tabletop-focused show, held in Philadelphia.

About ReedPop
ReedPop is a boutique group within RX – one of the world’s leading events organizers. Launched in 2006, the group has become the number one producer of pop culture events across the globe as well as a full service digital content provider and media company.

Delivering once-in-a-lifetime fan experiences curated specifically for localized audiences, ReedPop currently features events in North America and Europe, including: New York Comic Con (NYCC), Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2), PAX West, East, and Unplugged, Emerald City Comic Con (ECCC), Star Wars Celebration, MCM Comic Con, Eurogamer Expo (EGX), Star Trek Missions and more.

In addition to organizing and managing events, ReedPop also runs and operates the Gamer Network and its portfolio of leading gaming websites including Eurogamer, Rock Paper Shotgun and GamesIndustry.Biz. The staff at ReedPop are a fan-based, globally focused group of professionals that are uniquely qualified to build and serve the communities with whom they share a common passion.

About Penny Arcade
Penny Arcade has been the world’s most popular webcomic for over 20 years, with over 3.5 million readers. Started in 1998 in the living room of Mike Krahulik & Jerry Holkins, it has grown into a media empire encompassing multiple beloved properties such as Lookouts, Automata, and beloved D&D live-play series Acquisitions Incorporated.

Penny Arcade was responsible for the creation of Child’s Play, a gaming charity that has raised over $45 million dollars for children across the world. They are also the founders of PAX, the number one consumer gaming festival in North America, with hundreds of thousands of loyal visitors every year.