PAX Australia will be held in Melbourne from 2013-2014, the expo organizers confirmed today.
As reported earlier, the expo will take place between July 19 and July 23 at the Melbourne Showgrounds, overlapping with Comic Con International in San Diego, which takes place from July 18-21, 2013.
The Victorian Minister for Innovation, Services and Small Business, Louise Asher, said that the event was a "major coup" for Melbourne.
"This is the first time the event has been held outside of the United States. PAX is the world's premier gaming festival and the decision to choose Melbourne to hold PAX Australia represents a fantastic opportunity to highlight Victoria's creative capabilities on a global scale," she said in a statement.
"This is a great opportunity to showcase the gaming culture in Australia to the rest of the world, while promoting the talented game developers and creative studios to an international audience.
"Events like this bring a huge number of interstate and international visitors to Victoria, delivering significant economic benefits."
The president of Penny Arcade, Robert Khoo, said that Australia was an obvious choice for the Penny Arcade Expo.
"When we reached out to our international fans, the response from the Australian community for a local PAX was overwhelming," he says.
"Melbourne has a long history of supporting the gaming scene, through showcasing cultural game exhibits to supporting world renowned game developers. Holding PAX Australia in Melbourne is the perfect fit for our show."
The PAX Australia website will soon be updated with more information. Registration is now open.