EB Games Expo, commonly known as EB Expo or EBX, was a video gametrade 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]
2011
EB 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.
EB 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]
EB 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.
A view of the show floor at The Dome (Sydney Showground Hall 1), during the Expo"The Arena", the presentation stage, which had shrunk in capacity from previous yearsA view of the entrance to the Xbox One booth, the largest at the showA view of the PlayStation booth, with the start of the line for Star Wars: Battlefront in the foregroundThe stage at the Nintendo booth, during a presentation of Yoshi's Woolly World
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
The 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
The 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
Activision 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
List of video game exhibitors and games showcased by booth
Following 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
Non-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]
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