Kicking off the event each year is a keynote delivered by a notable figure in the video game industry. This year’s Storytime keynote will be delivered by Bungie’s Destiny 2 director Luke Smith. Two years prior to joining Bungie, Smith published a feature as a news editor at 1UP titled Broken Halo: Five Ways Bungie Can Fix Halo 2. During his time with the developer, Smith worked as a systems designer for Halo: Reach and Destiny, lead designer for Destiny‘s raids, and creative director for Destiny: The Taken King and Destiny 2.
“Luke Smith has been around the block, and I can’t wait to pick his brain about it,” says Jerry Holkins, co-founder of Penny Arcade. “I’m also going to see if they need writers over there at Bungie, because I’ve written a lot of fan fiction under various pseudonyms and I’ve got a ton of great ideas.”
Like other conventions throughout the year, PAX West 2017 features a number of panels for guests to attend. Highlights include Gearbox Software’s Inside Gearbox, Monolith Soft’s Middle Earth: Shadow of War, and CD Projekt RED’s Celebrating the 10th Anniversary of The Witcher. A full lineup of panels throughout the course of the show can be found on the PAX West 2017 website. Those who are not attending can enjoy the panels live on Twitch.
The show floor will be packed to the brim with exhibitors. Big names such as Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft, Bethesda, Bandai Namco, and more will have a presence, in addition to a large number of rising independent developers. A full lineup of more than 200 exhibitors can be found on the Guidebook App.
PAX West was founded in 2004 in an effort to connect leading game developers directly to their fan base. It provides a space where gaming is celebrated through panels, demos, concerts, tournaments, and more. Since its foundation, PAX has expanded to include West, East, South, Australia, and Unplugged events.
For those looking to get tickets, the bad new is that PAX West 2017 tickets are sold out and media registration has closed. The good news is there are many more PAX events still to come, not to mention Gamescom 2017 in Cologne, Germany, later this month.
