Colin Moriarty claims PAX misled his fans by canceling his PlayStation panel

Michael Gwilliam

Former IGN and Kinda Funny host Colin Moriarty claims his panel at PAX West was suddenly canceled with no explanation from the organizers as to why.

Moriarty said he received an email from PAX on July 30 telling him that his Sacred Symbols podcast panel had been removed from the event – but didn’t specify why. A screengrab of the email titled “Panel Schedule change” was posted on Moriarty’s Twitter account. 

“PAX West rescinded Sacred Symbols’ panel today. So if you were planning to go… sorry. I asked why, and am waiting on a response.” he said before showing the email.

“Apologies, but we unfortunately have to remove your panel from the PAX West 2019 schedule. We apologize for any confusion and are happy to still issue special guest badges to you and the folks you had designated as speakers, so you will still have access to the show on all four days,” the email said.

The Sacred Symbols host replied to the email asking why the panel had been removed and voiced concerns that people had already bought passes to the event to see him and co-star Chris Ray Gun.

“I must admit, I’m saddened by this, not only because I think it’s pretty obvious ‘what happened,’ but also because I was actually looking forward to doing our show there,” Colin stated in a follow-up tweet. ““It was dumb to think we’d get a fair shake, and obviously, I won’t be trying to do this again. I’m sorry. >

I must admit, I'm saddened by this, not only because I think it's pretty obvious "what happened," but also because I was actually looking forward to doing our show there.

It was dumb to think we'd get a fair shake, and obviously, I won't be trying to do this again. I'm sorry. >

— Colin Moriarty (@notaxation) July 30, 2019

In an update, Colin said he sent a second email asking again why the panel was canceled after he was told explicitly to tell his audience about it and even had access to the PAX’s panel backend to refine the name, description, and more.

“Update: I sent a second e-mail, because frankly, there are urgent questions that need to be answered, particularly on behalf of my audience. Before I write a full letter to you guys letting you know what’s up, I need PAX to answer. So, I’m standing by. >

Moriarty also asked how he could be reimbursed for lost travel-related expenses and how his supporters could get their passes refunded. Yet again, PAX did not reply.