You’ve already heard about our trip to PAX and the awards and recognition we received. Here are my (Amber) memories of PAX West, and a little more about our team’s time there.
On the Thursday before the con, we packed our bags and flew from Edmonton to Seattle, ready to show off Ctrl Alt Deal. Let’s take a moment to shoutout to our fearless leader, Alison. This woman is a powerhouse. She just came back from gamescom in Germany, had exactly one day to catch her breath in Edmonton, and then hopped on another plane to join us in Seattle. Talk about commitment!
After a bunch of flight delays and cancellations, Alison, Kelvin and I finally made it to Seattle. Second shoutout to Kelvin, who got his passport in order for his first international trip to support Deal. Our summer intern, Gwen, came down from Vancouver to meet us at the con and help out at the booths as well.
Yep, booths plural. We were selected for the Rising Showcase after we’d already booked a booth, and we decided to keep both. In retrospect maybe not the best decision, but we owned it. We came up with a schedule that had us rotate days at the PAX Rising Showcase booth while the other two people covered our main booth, and Gwen made sure we got breaks and lunches every day. The PAX West Enforcers were a huge help as well (thanks, FieryAshes!) in making sure we were taken care of.
I don’t know where to start on my memories. The first day was a blur. The moment the general audience was let into the building, our booths were both packed. I think there was maybe 10 minutes on the first day when we didn’t have anyone playtesting. The energy just fills you up, especially when people are so obviously enjoying the game. We heard so many great comments and praise for Deal right out of the gate that we were over the moon.
There were a lot of other great memories made that weekend. On Saturday, Alison took us all out for an incredible staff dinner on the waterfront. We had fresh seafood, west coast wine, and decadent desserts while we shared our fun stories from the day. On Sunday, I met up with an old friend, Katherine Cross, and introduced her to my team. Katherine and Alison hit it off immediately, and I got a warm fuzzy glow from making a friendship happen.
(Wait, is this how SCOUT feels when it plays a Form Friendship card???)
I could write a whole blog about funny/awesome moments that happened at the booth (and maybe I will!) Outside of that, I just remember how much fun we had. Convincing the waiter at the Cheesecake Factory to pull up Steam on his phone and wishlist Deal on the spot (thanks, Robert!). Then begging him for some cardboard so we could repair the box we packed our booth banners in. Alison zipping around Seattle on those little rental scooters, looking completely badass. Me forgetting my purse in the booth overnight and the angst that brought, only to find some nice person turned it in intact (including the half a ham sandwich I had left from lunch). Buying champagne from the hotel champagne vending machine to celebrate on the last day because my hotel had a champagne vending machine.
Other highlights were hot pot with the team on Friday, games with more old friends at the after-hours board game hall, and running into yet another old friend unexpectedly at the booth who was in town to see Metallica!
Hmmm… I’m sensing a theme here. Yep, it’s people.
Being part of the energy and excitement of PAX, being in the expo hall, seeing the great exhibits and playing new demos… that was all extremely cool. But connecting with friends, making new ones, and meeting the fans was the true joy of PAX. We met hundreds of incredible people—players, fellow developers, and fans—who took the time to play our game and chat with us. Watching people dive into Ctrl Alt Deal and seeing their reactions was nothing short of magical. It’s one thing to work on a game in the studio, but seeing it come to life in the hands of real players? There’s nothing like it.
Of course, by the end of it, we were totally wiped out (some of us more than others – the con crud is real). We’re getting back into the daily routine now, finishing up Deal with renewed enthusiasm. PAX invigorated me as much as it exhausted me. Hopefully I’ll be recovered in time for next year!
To everyone who stopped by our booth, played our game, or even just said hi—thank you. You made our PAX West experience unforgettable.
(Also my favorite PAX moment was definitely getting my Stardew Valley chicken. Meet Chickaletta!)
Did we get a chance to see you at PAX? Come by our Discord, say hi, and join in on the Ctrl Alt Deal conversation!