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PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds director Brendan Greene will deliver the opening “Storytime” keynote at PAX East 2018, taking place April 5-8 in Boston, MA.

PAX East will also feature a lineup of highly-anticipated panels from some of the biggest names in gaming, including Blizzard, Markiplier, Acquisitions Inc. and more. Meanwhile, in the expo halls a myriad of exhibitors, including Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft, Blizzard, Square Enix, other major studios, and independent teams will showcase their latest creations.

The story of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, a remarkably popular game where up to 100 players parachute onto an island, scavenge for weapons, and attempt to survive in increasingly small section of the map, begins in 2013. That year, inspired by the 2000 film Battle Royale, Greene released an Arma 2 mod, DayZ: Battle Royale, that would go on to be the basis of the highest-grossing title on Steam. Greene’s work caught the eye of Sony Online Entertainment (now Daybreak Games) who hired him and licensed his ideas to develop H1Z1.

After departing Sony Online in 2016, Greene would become creative director at South Korean studio Bluehole, which released PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds in March the following year via Steam Early Access. The game quickly became a sensation, selling more than a million copies in its first month – and has now moved over 35 million to date across both PC and Xbox One.

In addition to Green’s keynote, Thursday will feature a lineup of highly-anticipated panels from some of the biggest names in gaming including Blizzard, Markiplier, Acquisitions Inc. and more. A full schedule of PAX East 2018 panels can be found here. A limited number of Thursday and Sunday tickets for PAX East 2018 are still available. Gamers unable to attend can watch panels stream live on Twitch.

PAX East 2018 will also host a myriad of exhibitors in the expo halls, including Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft, Blizzard, Square Enix, and other major publishers alongside scores of independent developers showcasing their latest creations.

“Brendan Greene’s story is a fascinating one, and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is only the latest chapter,” said Jerry Holkins, co-founder, Penny Arcade. “At four full days, this year’s PAX East 2018 is shaping up to be the biggest one yet, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to have the founder of the Battle Royale phenomenon kick off the festivities.”

Founded in 2010, PAX East connects leading game developers directly to gamers, providing a space where gaming culture is celebrated through panels, demos, concerts, tournaments and free play sessions. The PAX series of shows – which also include West, South, Australia, and Unplugged – produced by ReedPOP in conjunction with Penny Arcade, comprise some of the world’s largest gaming festivals, with each event entertaining tens of thousands of guests.

For more information, please visit the official PAX East website.

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