PAX Australia returns to Melbourne in October, with a longer list than usual of major publishers and brands in attendance. Bethesda Softworks ANZ, Blizzard, Sega, "PC Game Pass" (I'm going to take that to mean Microsoft) and Ubisoft will feature among the presenters and exhibitors. But what caught my eye in the news is Steam. Not Valve, but "Steam".
Remember that, despite the huge success of the Steam Deck all over the world, it's yet to officially release in Australia. It's not hard to buy one, of course, but prices tend to fluctuate wildly and Valve itself has cautioned against going with grey market sellers. Could the presence of Steam at PAX Australia 2024 point to an imminent proper release in Australia? It would be nice, and frankly, I can't think of many other good reasons for Steam—and not officially "Valve"—to be there.
The PAX announcement is coy on the matter of what Steam's presence at the event entails. "While on the topic of love, PAX Aus welcomes Steam for the first time ever. More on that when the show opens, you're not going to want to miss it!"
After a couple of years of slightly smaller events, PAX Australia 2024 is probably the biggest it's ever been, at least in terms of its line-up. In addition to the aforementioned companies, it's also getting Devolver and Playside Studios, while big showings for Final Fantasy XIV Online, The Sims and Diablo IV will also feature. A bunch of hardware vendors will appear too, ranging ASUS, Intel, LG, MSI and Samsung.
But none of that can rival the main course: weddings. Two couples will get married in a life-sized replica of the temple from Cult of the Lamb, which is simply beautiful. The convention takes place October 11-13 at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre and badges are still available.
