🍻 BeerRepBen 🍻

I cannot tell you how much it pains me to say this. As things currently stand, I will not be exhibiting at or attending GCX in 2027 or the indefinite future. The event has restructured their pricing and is eliminating the option to purchase a large booth for artist alley (eliminating a discount that we did not know we had), raising the cost of my booth footprint (same case for @bansheebotpete and @RazorsEdgeRaz ) for the last few years by over 200%. Artists with smaller booths are also seeing hundreds of dollars in service downgrades. While asking for clarification and seeking solutions, we have been treated with a baffling amount of disrespect by an employee of the show (to be clear, this is not directed at Shane, who has always advocated for artists and devs alike, he’s a gem). Veteran artists are being removed from spaces they helped to shape and then being lied about, having their character attacked. I don’t know how we got here. This tone shift feels like a turn from community to capital and it's hard to ignore. Between this sudden and concerning price increase and the failure to promote Artist Alley during my time as an exhibitor in any meaningful way, it just isn't an expense I can justify anymore. We aren’t even listed on the event page. There were no GCX-official promotional posts. I’m tired. Let me be clear. I am crushed. I am gutted. And still, I will never stop making Destiny art. That’s what this is about, at its core. This community means the world to me, and that passion will never leave me. With some adjustments in attitude and pricing, I would love to return someday. If you've gotten yourself a ticket to GCX expecting to find me in Artist Alley, I am deeply sorry to say that you won't be seeing me there. I'm going to really miss my morning commute.