The Penny Arcade Adventures franchise is not dead. Although the third game in the series was initially cancelled, it will see the light of day in 2012. Hothead Games however will not be heading up development. That task has been handed off to Zeboyd Games.

Wouldn’t it be cool to go to Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) for free? It may be possible through Trion if you are a member of the RIFT community. Trion Worlds, creators of MMORPG RIFT, want to send one member of the RIFT community and his or her friend to PAX Prime with its Send Me to PAX contest. That means two people could get a free trip Seattle, Washington from August 26-28 2011 so they can attend the convention. Not only that, but also give them VIP treatment during the Trion community party being held Friday night, August 26, at the Hyatt @ Olive 8…

Twisted Pixel has an interesting offer that doesn’t involve anyone ripping off its games. The indie developer is calling out to fans for a chance to be a character in one of its upcoming games. The contest will be held at PAX East which runs from March 11-13, 2011.

The sixth annual Penny Arcade Expo (AKA PAX Prime) is approaching soon, and the event’s organizers have released the full schedule along with an adorable, 8-bit style map of the show floor.

Warner Brothers has announced that the free-to-play (F2P) version of the Lord of the Rings Online (LOTRO) will launch on September 10, 2010. Developer Turbine added this pricing option as a result of the incredible success when their other MMORPG, Dungeons and Dragons Online went F2P in 2009.

East Coasters rejoice! The Massachusetts Convention Center Authority has signed an agreement that guarantees Boston will be the home of Penny Arcade Expo East for the next three years.

PAX Prime, as the original event has been dubbed, has been held in Washington (state) since its inception in 2004. The event has become such a success over the last several years that a second PAX was needed to accommodate the eastern half of the US. Thus, PAX East was created in March 2010, held in Boston.

The future has become a little bit brighter now that those fine people behind Penny Arcade Expo have revealed the selection of musical talent that will be playing in concert come September 3 and 4. 2010. There’s something about going to a concert with tons of gamers and listening to gaming/nerd-themed music that’s strangely appealing. Assuming they change their shirts. And bathe.

But even if the stereotype is in attendance, it should still make for a rousing good time since the following acts will be present…

We have all heard about the Cinderella story of a musician from a small town turning into a rock star and getting tons of fans. For most people who like to sing or play in a band in their spare time this idea is farfetched but for a group of developers, things turned out differently.

Five bands made their debut at the Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) East this past weekend and all of them have something in common, at least one of their members works at Harmonix, creator of games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band. Some of the bands played small clubs now and then but after their music was included in those games, they were catapulted to rock stars. For The Main Drag, Anarchy Club, The Konks, That Handsome Devil and Death of the Cool, the passion for games made a way for their passion for music.

Rockstar had a huge booth at the first PAX East 2010 and its entire contents consisted of just one game: Red Dead Redemption.

Grand Theft Auto plus John Wayne equals money. The formula is hard to get wrong. But the little touches they’ve added really make it stand out from any generic formula that you might apply to it.

The environment changes from night to day, much like other Grand Theft Auto games, but perhaps the most interesting environmental additions are the animals.

Do you like Call of Duty? How about Battlefield: 1943? If the answer is yes to either or both, Atomic Games will soon have you covered with its own recently-announced modern shooter, Breach.

After some hands-on time today at PAX East 2010, I can confirm that Breach is looking to tap into the same market that Battlefield: 1943 did as a downloadable title. There is a stripped down version of classes, with three playable on the floor, destructible buildings and a cover system. You can even go so far as to blow a hole in a wall and then cover to blind-fire into the hole.