EB Games confirms details of Aussie consumer show

Australians have been deprived of live, large-scale gaming events held locally, with the last major event--Melbourne's eGames--occurring in 2009. Opportunities to get a look at prerelease titles have been few and far between, but retailer EB Games is hoping to fill the event gap, confirming today that the company will be hosting a live expo in October this year.

Dubbed the EB Games Expo, the consumer-focused event will be held on the Gold Coast on October 15-16. The event will take place at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre, with an EB statement saying that the expo would showcase new release and upcoming titles playable "for the first time" in Australia.

EB Games national events manager Trent Weekes said that the expo would follow on from the retailer's trade-only conference in October. "Our internal October conference is already Australia's largest gaming event, which attracts a huge amount of international gaming talent, so it was a natural progression that we open the event to the gaming community," he said. Weekes said a full exhibitor list would be released in the coming months.

At least two publishers are already on board with the expo--Ubisoft and EA Australia. Ubisoft MD Edward Fong said that the expo would allow gamers to immerse themselves in the industry. "It's a great initiative, and something that the Australian public has been asking for. We can't wait for the opportunity for our fans to get their hands on our latest Christmas blockbusters--before they hit the shelves."

The expo will feature a large-scale exhibition floor, showcasing upcoming titles, as well as have a stage area dubbed EB Live where publishers will showcase gameplay footage or developer presentations. Public access will be split over three six-hour sessions over the Saturday and Sunday of the expo, with an EB statement saying that the event was split into three to "ensure that a maximum number of guests can attend the event whilst maintaining the quality of the experience that ticket holders will receive." While the floor exhibition will remain the same for the three sessions, the EB Live presentations will be different.

It won't all be game demos and presentations, however. The expo will also feature the EB Arena Spectacular, a showcase of all products being presented at the expo, as well as freestyle motocross performed in the EB Arena by Showtime FMX. The World Cyber Games National Finals will also be held at the expo and is scheduled for the night of Saturday October 15. The expo will also play host to a cosplay competition on Sunday October 16.

Prepaid tickets to the event will cost A$29.95 per session, with general admission tickets purchased on the day to set you back A$31.95. EB is also selling VIP tickets for A$99.95--VIP tickets will allow buyers express access to selected games on the show floor, priority seating at all Arena events, backstage access to media interview recordings, and more. Tickets go on sale on June 2, and they can be purchased at any EB Games store or online at ebexpo.com.au.

GameSpot AU is the official online media partner for the EB Games Expo and will be reporting live from the show floor. For a peek behind the scenes at last year's EB Games' trade-only conference, check out this episode of Crosshairs.