Penny Arcade and ReedPoP take PAX Unplugged to Philadelphia

Penny Arcade and ReedPOP announced today that they will stage a new gamer event called PAX Unplugged in Philadelphia.

Announced during PAX South 2017, the new tabletop gaming event will take place in Philadelphia in November 2017. The event is the sixth addition to the international line-up of PAX events.

The event will be at the Pennsylvania Convention Center from November 17 to November 19. The event will take all the elements that have drawn millions of gamers to PAX – the chance to play and see the reveal of highly anticipated upcoming games, attend game-inspired music concerts, participate in tournaments and watch panels with industry leaders – but with a renewed focus on fostering the best event for the burgeoning tabletop gaming community.

This expo will be a destination for attendees to share their common passions and socialize over board, card and other tabletop games, which have experienced a renaissance in recent years. Penny Arcade and ReedPOP are happy to embrace the thriving tabletop scene and provide those around it with a welcoming atmosphere to take this resurgence to even greater heights.

“With the rise of popularity of board games, we wanted to provide a dedicated space where fans can come together,” said Jerry Holkins, cofounder of Penny Arcade, in a statement. “We will continue to have tabletop games at every PAX, but Unplugged will focus on stepping away from the TV, monitor, and phone to foster face-to-face multiplayer experiences.”

Dean Takahashi

Dean Takahashi is editorial director for GamesBeat at VentureBeat. He has been a tech journalist since 1988, and he has covered games as a beat since 1996. He was lead writer for GamesBeat at VentureBeat from 2008 to April 2025. Prior to that, he wrote for the San Jose Mercury News, the Red Herring, the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, and the Dallas Times-Herald. He is the author of two books, "Opening the Xbox" and "The Xbox 360 Uncloaked." He organizes the annual GamesBeat Next, GamesBeat Summit and GamesBeat Insider Series: Hollywood and Games conferences and is a frequent speaker at gaming and tech events. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.