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Paizo will not be at in-person Gen Con 2021

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Paizo will not be at in-person Gen Con 2021

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Posted by aaronr

Paizo will not have a physical presence at this year’s Gen Con Indy. Instead, like last year, we will focus our efforts on supporting Gen Con Online with hundreds of Pathfinder and Starfinder games suitable for all players on a variety of virtual tabletop platforms. We’ll also have several special game streams and Paizo-focused seminars to choose from. We will release more information about our plans as we get closer to the show’s September 16–19 dates. We look forward to returning to an in-person Gen Con in 2022!

Posted by xanathon

Figures they don’t make the announcement until after the date to roll badges over.

I wonder what the exhibitor hall will be like if one of the sponsors is able to bow out this year.

Posted by adcjones

I'm personally furious with Paizo for this decision, especially the timing. My main draw to GenCon is playing Pathfinder in person at a great convention.

I wonder how much blame is to be put on GenCon for letting them slip through the cracks? I imagine they offered a carrot to Paizo to come...

As a staunch believer in science and being fully vaccinated, calling it quits for an event in September is playing Chicken Little if you ask me. I'm angry enough that Paizo has lost my business. I'll not purchase any more of their products, and that's a fact. At some point we as a society have to realize that science should win out over emotions. I feel like Paizo is hiding behind their liberal feelings... and I'm a liberal!

Utterly disappointed about this. Missing two GenCons in a row...wow...I really doubt I'll ever be back now. Out-of-sight-out-of-mind.

I'm certain their lack of presence will have a huge effect on attendance. It obviously panicked GenCon because I just got a survey from them a few minutes ago.

I wonder who else won't be showing up? GenCon really should get these details straightened out before badge registration.

Posted by xanathon

I am just curious if Paizo's and other companies decision to not attend is simply because they don't want to do these conventions any longer due to financial reasons or they are just taking a fear based view of this year by ignoring the fact that people are getting vaccinated.

Posted by kevinrg xanathon

 xanathon wrote:
I am just curious if Paizo's and other companies decision to not attend is simply because they don't want to do these conventions any longer due to financial reasons or they are just taking a fear based view of this year by ignoring the fact that people are getting vaccinated.

Probably mixed bag. For the larger companies, I wouldn't doubt finances is a big concern. I'm guessing most of the overhead costs are the same or more in 2021 (labor, travel, hotels, convention space) and you have 1/2 the traffic as a normal convention? Numbers probably just don't add up.

Posted by lore seeker kevinrg

 kevinrg wrote:

But they probably would have known about those numbers before now. So why wait until after the rollover deadline to make the announcement?

Posted by lore seeker

Something else I'm wondering is whether or not Paizo is going to cancel its in-person presence at Origins as well, since it's only two weeks after Gen Con.

Posted by xanathon kevinrg

 kevinrg wrote:

A lot of them had record profit year in 2020. What I meant by my comment is simply a decision based on greed that they don't want to spend the money.

Posted by kevinrg lore seeker

 father bloodlust wrote:But they probably would have known about those numbers before now. So why wait until after the rollover deadline to make the announcement?

I could be completely wrong, but maybe they had an idea of the rollover numbers. If there was a significant percent of people that rolled over to 2022, maybe they thought whatever number they needed to get to a sell out to make it worth their while as a vendor seemed like a hill to climb.

Now a few days later you have a survey that seems to be wanting to find out what maybe it will take to get people to come that might have said they weren't coming with the health path that Gencon was currently on if they changed direction.

Or maybe its all just a coincidence... Overall, I just don't get a good feeling about how well it will go off in 2021. Seems there be some 'If Paizo isn't going.. then I'm not' which could have a domino effect.

Posted by kevinrg xanathon

#10

 xanathon wrote:A lot of them had record profit year in 2020. What I meant by my comment is simply a decision based on greed that they don't want to spend the money.

That is always a possibility too.

Posted by quarex lore seeker

#11

 father bloodlust wrote:
Something else I'm wondering is whether or not Paizo is going to cancel its in-person presence at Origins as well, since it's only two weeks after Gen Con.

On the Facebook Origins group someone said they actually confirmed weeks ago they were not attending Origins (which makes me wonder why they waited here...might have actually been debating it rather than stalling?)

Regardless, I actually get more excited for Gen-Con with every new bizarre change to how things normally go. Admittedly that is OTHER than the Auction, which is functionally my convention raison d'être if I am being honest (I actually stopped regularly attending Origins when they stopped having the Auction there after all, though I am much more loyal to Gen-Con)

Posted by lore seeker quarex

#12

 quarex wrote:

 father bloodlust wrote:
Something else I'm wondering is whether or not Paizo is going to cancel its in-person presence at Origins as well, since it's only two weeks after Gen Con.

Well, shit.

Guess I'll just rely on D&D for Organized Play then.

Posted by qwaserity quarex

#13

 quarex wrote:

=inheritAdmittedly that is OTHER than the Auction, which is functionally my convention raison d'être=inherit if I am being honest (I actually stopped regularly attending Origins when they stopped having the Auction there after all, though I am much more loyal to Gen-Con)

YANA - You Are Not Alone. My last Origins was the last year they had an auction hall. It was sad to see a room with about 40 people bidding on auction lots that no one wanted.

Posted by adcjones xanathon

#14

I suspect its more of a fear-based approach. Of course, it also lends itself to saving a lot of money by not attending. But I don't think they realize how much they're hurting their base by not attending. I am no longer going to purchase their products; they apparently don't value me as a customer and want to fear-monger. GenCon should also have some blame for not mandating vaccine-proof or doing what is necessary to keep them.

I don't understand a society that cowers in fear like this. Believe me, I'm a believer in science, mask-wearing, and am fully vaccinated. COVID will not be going away, ever. Should we always live in fear and never do any Cons again? Apparently Paizo's logic would have it that way.