PAX Australia - Checking out Nintendo's Booth
Nintendo Australia have been one of the biggest supporters of PAX Australia since the show began in 2013, in fact not counting the times when the show was cancelled due to Covid-19, they have only missed two of them. One was the year after the show opened and the second was in 2024 as they just had their Nintendo Live event in Sydney.
But after a year away, they were back at the show this year and without question they were the anchor for the expo hall, with their booth viewable from around the space. Now Xbox did technically show up at the show, but their booth was a giant black box that had nothing for people to look at outside of it and PlayStation were a no show on the floor, their last appearance was back in 2019.
Nintendo Australia had a lot of games for people to play, covering a range of genres, so here are a few photos from their booth, grouped by games.
Mario Kart World
Mario Kart World is already out and selling quite well, but it drew lines all weekend long. Knockout Tour was the mode on offer and people were eager to put their skills to the test. Those who won their round also scored a Peach Medallion, something you can find in the game itself, but everyone who played got a special pin set.
Kirby Air Riders
One of the few unreleased titles on the showfloor, Kirby Air Riders is the follow up to the 2003 GameCube title, Kirby Air Ride. You can read our hands on about the game here. Those who played the game were also able to claim a special Kirby pin.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment
The third entry in the Hyrule Warriors series drew lines all weekend long, with signs often put up explaining that the line was closed and to come back later. The stations were always busy and for a good reason, this game is cannon and explains the events of what happened with Zelda when she was thrown back into the past at the beginning of Tears of the Kingdom.
Pokémon Legends Z-A
While the game is out now, trainers were eager to get their hands on the game at the show and those who played walked away with a special pin.
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
For a lot of fans, the Metroid Prime 4: Beyond line was the one they had to join, which is fair as the game was first announced back in June 2017. For additional context, that was the same year that we got Metroid: Samus Returns for Nintendo 3DS.
Third Party Titles
Nintendo always likes to open their booth to other developers, years past have seen Just Dance, Overwatch and more included. This year Hollow Knight: Silksong, Hades II, Dragon Quest I&II HD-2D Remake and Borderlands 4 were among the games included, you can read our Borderlands 4 hands on here.
One funny story for the mature section, which was behind a curtain, I was walking the booth taking photos on Friday afternoon and I walked into that section to take some photos of gamers enjoying the offerings. Except there was no one in there, except the folks working the stations for Nintendo. I walked into this small space and every face turned to me, as if they were excited someone had come in to play. When I checked back on Saturday there were people there, but it was just a funny moment.
Nintendo Australia are really the anchor of the Expo Hall at PAX Australia, they have been there every year bar two and when they are not there, the hall feels all the more empty because of it. They again offered up their My Nintendo Store at the show, but I rarely saw anyone in line there, because honestly there was nothing there that you could not get anywhere else.
With luck Nintendo Australia will be back to PAX Australia in 2026, because they are just as important to the show as the queue hall. Did you get a chance to check out their booth, play anything? Be sure to let us know.
