PAX Aus has officially revealed its 2026 Storytime speaker, and this year, one of the biggest names in MMORPG history is coming to Melbourne. Holly Longdale, Executive Producer of World of Warcraft at Blizzard Entertainment, will take the Storytime stage at PAX Aus 2026, sharing stories from a career spent helping shape some of gaming’s most influential online worlds.
For longtime MMO players, this is a pretty huge announcement.
A legendary career in online worlds
Longdale has spent more than two decades working across some of the most recognisable franchises in gaming, with credits spanning World of Warcraft, Warcraft, Diablo, Overwatch, and EverQuest. Her work has helped build, evolve, and sustain game worlds that millions of players have called home for years.
Currently leading World of Warcraft as Executive Producer, Longdale oversees both Classic and Modern WoW, including the recently released World of Warcraft: Midnight expansion. It’s a role that puts her at the centre of one of gaming’s most enduring and influential communities.
Before Blizzard, Longdale’s career took her through Sony Online Entertainment and Disney, where she worked on everything from EverQuest expansions through to projects tied to TRON, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Hannah Montana. It’s the kind of career that spans multiple generations of games and players, making her an ideal fit for PAX Aus Storytime.
Why Storytime matters at PAX Aus
Storytime has become one of the standout sessions on the PAX Aus schedule each year. It offers attendees the chance to hear directly from some of the industry’s most influential voices, not through polished keynote presentations, but through stories about the people, moments, risks, and lessons that shaped their careers.
Previous Storytime speakers have become a real highlight of the weekend, giving fans rare behind-the-scenes insight into the games industry from the people who’ve helped define it. It’s a chance to hear the human side of game development, and those sessions have consistently drawn packed crowds. That’s what makes Holly Longdale’s appearance feel especially exciting.
A perfect fit for the PAX Aus stage
Longdale’s work sits at the heart of MMO history. Few genres are as community-driven as massively multiplayer online games, and few people have had as much direct influence on those communities over the years as Longdale. From EverQuest through to World of Warcraft, her career has been shaped by building worlds players return to again and again.
In the official announcement, Longdale said she’s looking forward to celebrating the power of games and the communities that grow around them, highlighting creativity, connection, and the players who make those worlds feel alive.
That message feels especially fitting for PAX Aus.
PAX Aus 2026
At its core, PAX has always been about community. Whether it’s through panels, cosplay, tabletop, indie showcases, or the packed expo floor, it’s a place where people come together because they love games. Having someone like Longdale, whose career has been built around creating and nurturing those communities, feels like a perfect match for the Storytime stage.
PAX Aus 2026 takes place at Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre from 9–11 October, and with Holly Longdale now confirmed as Storytime speaker, the countdown to October just got even more exciting. Make sure you head to the website and grab your tickets before they sell out… because most of them are already gone!
