Penny Arcade Launching Developer-Focused 'PAX Dev' Gathering In August

The people behind the Penny Arcade Expo and its PAX East spin-off have announced PAX Dev, a new conference dedicated to the developer community to be held for the first time this August. Taking place at Seattle's Sheraton hotel on August 24 and 25 -- the two days before this year's Seattle-based PAX Prime -- PAX Dev is aiming to provide "a small (750-ish [person]), intimate setting where digital and pen/paper game developers alike can focus on their craft," according to the conference's newly launched web site. The idea grew out of a request by a group of developers who had asked for an off-site gathering surrounding PAX, the site says. Members of the press will not be invited to the show, and the focus will be on making games rather than selling them, according to organizers. "The new show is focused on creating an event where industry professionals aren’t distracted and can concentrate 100 percent on perfecting the craft of game development," a spokesperson said in a statement. The main PAX show has grown from a gathering of just over 3,000 gaming fans in 2004 to a three-day event drawing over 67,000 people to the Seattle Convention Center last year. Nearly 70,000 people attended March's PAX East event in Boston, setting a record for an American game convention open to the public.