EB Games Expo, commonly known as EB Expo or EBX, was a video game trade fair and convention held annually from 2011 to 2018 in Australia. It was organised by EB Games Australia. It was used by many video game developers to show off their upcoming games and game-related hardware. Unlike E3, it allowed members of the general public to attend. The most recent show was held in 2018 as part of the Penny Arcade Expo.[1][2]
| EB Games Expo | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Status | Defunct |
| Venue | Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre (2011,2017) Sydney Showground (2012-2016) Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (2018) |
| Location(s) | Gold Coast, Sydney, Melbourne |
| Country | Australia |
| Inaugurated | 2011 |
| Most recent | 2018 |
| Organised by | EB Games Australia |
| Website | www |
2011
editEB Games Expo 2011 was held at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre from 15 to 16 October; it was the first time the event was open to the public. The expo was attended by 14,278 people and 26 exhibitors.
Exhibitors
edit2012
editEB Games Expo 2012 was held at the Sydney Showground from 5–7 October, and was the first time it was held at the venue. The expo was attended by 30,745 people and 32 exhibitors.[3]
Exhibitors
edit|
Astro Headsets Bluemouth Interactive
Hot Stuff Ikon Collectables inComm
|
Performance Designed Products Plantronics Gamecom QV Software
|
Tuff Kat Turtle Beach
|
2013
edit
EB Games Expo 2013 was held at the Sydney Showground from 4–6 October. The expo was attended by over 38,000 people.[4]
Exhibitors
edit|
All Interactive Entertainment Astro Video Gaming Equipment Banter Toys Bluemouth Interactive Gaem Goldie Ikon Collectables InComm |
PDP Plantronics Gamecom Qantm |
2014
editEB Games Expo 2014 was held at the Sydney Showground from 3–5 October. Sessions were from 9am to 3pm and from 3pm to 9pm. The twilight session was only allowed for people older than 15.
Exhibitors
edit2015
edit
The 2015 edition of the EB Games Expo ran from 2–4 October 2015 at the Sydney Showground.[5][6] The event had two "daylight" and "twilight" sessions, each six and four hours long respectively, on 2 and 3 October, with one six-hour session on 4 October, following the same format as the previous two years. The Dome (Hall 1), Ross Pavilion (Hall 2) and Binnie Pavilion (Hall 3) once again hosted the exhibition floor. This expo was the third to showcase games for the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One, and the fifth to showcase games for the Wii U. Multi-platform games Star Wars: Battlefront and Call of Duty: Black Ops III were available exclusively at Sony Computer Entertainment's PlayStation stand.[7]
Exhibition
editThe 2015 edition of the EB Games Expo was the first without the presence of Riot Games or League of Legends. In previous years, Riot had staged the annual Oceanic Regional Finals for League at the convention, but had instead chosen to host it instead in August 2015 at Luna Park Sydney, where it was able to host a larger audience than the Southee Complex at the Sydney Showground; the event's previous venue at the 2014 EB Games Expo.[8]
Entertainment
editThe Expo featured a performance from comedy duo The Umbilical Brothers,[9] and comedian John Robertson, presenting his stand-up act Horror Stories from a Bad Gamer.[10]
Exhibitors
editActivision showcased the fifth entry in the Skylanders franchise with Skylanders: Superchargers, promoting the game at the event by giving away exclusive "Frightful Fiesta" Skylanders figures to the first few attendees to visit the booth. In addition to Forza Motorsport 6 and Remedy Entertainment's Quantum Break, Halo 5: Guardians was available to play at the Xbox booth, showcasing the game's 24-player "Warzone" multiplayer mode on the show floor.[11] The Xbox stand also made use of a "One Pass", a card that allowed attendees to tap in after playing certain games in the booth, entering a draw to win prizes. In contrast to previous years where the One Pass was a separate card, it was incorporated into the wristband sold upon the purchase of a ticket to the expo.[10]
Showcase
edit^[a] The Xbox pavilion was referred to as the "Xbox One" pavilion during EB Games Expo 2015.
2016
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The sixth annual running of the EB Games took place at the Sydney Showground from 30 September to 2 October 2016. PlayStation VR made its second and final appearance before its commercial release in October 2016.[12] Ubisoft's lineup of games for 2016–17 release included Watch Dogs 2, For Honor, Just Dance 2017, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Wildlands, Steep and South Park: The Fractured but Whole.[13]
Exhibition
editFollowing an identical format to previous years, the 2016 edition of the EB Games Expo was open on two sessions on the Friday and Saturday of the expo, known as "daylight" and "twilight" sessions, and a single session on Sunday. Daylight sessions last six hours, from 9am to 3pm, while twilight sessions run for five hours from 4pm to 9pm; the Sunday session, designated as "family day", lasts eight hours.[14]
The expo featured an "E-Sports Alley", touted as an e-sports competition venue for "kids, parents and pro e-athletes". Over 2,000 prizes, worth $10,000 in total, were given away in competitions held at the E-Sports Alley.[15] Competitions for cosplayers were also held, per tradition at the expo, with exclusive competitions and prizes, worth $5,000, available to those who purchased an "Ultimate Cosplayer Pass" ticket – a new ticket class introduced for the 2016 expo.[15]
Entertainment
editNon-gaming attractions at the 2016 edition of the EB Games Expo include the annual Lego exhibition, a "horror maze", movie vehicles, and the Zing Pop Culture and EB Games Megastore.[15]
Exhibitors
editAt least nine video game publishers exhibited, including Activision, Nintendo, Sony Interactive Entertainment (PlayStation), Ubisoft and Microsoft Studios (Xbox).[15] PlayStation VR made its second appearance at the expo, its last before its release in October 2016.[12]
Showcase
edit| List of video game exhibitors and games showcased by booth | |
|
QV Software / Turn Left Distribution |
| List of tabletop game exhibitors and games showcased by booth | |
| List of electronics and accessories exhibitors | |
|
|
2017
editEB Games Expo 2017 was held on 7–8 October at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre.
2018
editEB Games Expo 2018 was held between 26 and 28 October as part of the Penny Arcade Expo at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.[16][17]
References
edit- ^ "EB Games Expo Official Site".
- ^ "EB Games Announces World Class Exhibitors For EB Games Expo 2011". Archived from the original on 21 March 2012. Retrieved 27 April 2012.
- ^ "EB Games Expo 2012 smashes attendance record". Archived from the original on 8 July 2014. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
- ^ "Over 38'000 attend this years EB EXPO".
- ^ Reilly, Luke. "EB Expo 2015 Tickets on Sale Tomorrow". IGN. j2 Global. Archived from the original on 2 September 2023. Retrieved 7 September 2015.
- ^ Broughall, Nick (15 July 2015). "EB Games Expo 2015: What to expect from this year's show". TechRadar. Future plc. Archived from the original on 2 September 2023. Retrieved 7 September 2015.
- ^ Wright, Steve (15 July 2015). "EB Games announces first playable titles at this year's EB Expo". Stevivor. Stevivor Creative. Archived from the original on 2 September 2023. Retrieved 7 September 2015.
- ^ Farrelly, Steve (18 August 2015). "League of Legends Aussie-Based OPL Grand Final Event Wrap-Up". AusGamers. Archived from the original on 5 September 2015. Retrieved 10 September 2015.
- ^ Reilly, Luke (15 April 2015). "EB Expo 2015 Tickets on Sale Tomorrow". IGN. j2 Global. Archived from the original on 2 September 2023. Retrieved 7 September 2015.
- ^ a b Broughall, Nick (15 July 2015). "EB Games Expo 2015: What to expect from this year's show". TechRadar. Future plc. Archived from the original on 11 September 2015. Retrieved 7 September 2015.
- ^ Price, Darren (28 August 2015). "EB Expo 2015 announces more playable games". NetGuide. Techday Ltd. Archived from the original on 12 October 2015. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
- ^ a b Pan, Alexander (2 June 2016). "7 Reasons to check out this year's EB Games Expo!". SBS PopAsia. Special Broadcasting Service. Archived from the original on 10 June 2016. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
- ^ Wright, Steve (22 September 2016). "Ubisoft confirms EB Expo 2016 lineup". stevivor.com. Stevivor. Archived from the original on 3 January 2017. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
- ^ Smith, David (2 June 2016). "EB Expo 2016 tickets are on sale today". The Iris. The AU Review. Archived from the original on 8 June 2016. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
- ^ a b c d Van Daal, Joel (3 June 2016). "EB Expo show dates and ticket prices announced". MCV Pacific. NewBay Media. Archived from the original on 4 June 2016. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
- ^ "HUGE ANNOUNCEMENT". Archived from the original on 6 April 2018. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
- ^ "EB Expo 2018". ebexpo.com.au. Archived from the original on 6 April 2018. Retrieved 6 April 2018.