I had the pleasure of attending the debut Penny Arcade Expo South event this weekend in San Antonio, a new event devoted to the Texas-oriented gaming community. Although the event wasn’t nearly as big as others in the PAX realm (including the forthcoming East and the highly popular Prime), it remained a huge draw anyway – and spells an interesting future for the event, which will no doubt flourish for years to come.

Very few “big” companies were in attendance for the event, outside of Nintendo, Logitech and Twitch.tv, but the show ended up being a big success anyway, as a number of small developers and companies got their chance in the spotlight, with thousands of attendees trying out their games, from upcoming video game projects to board games with their own set of diverse rules.

The event also got a huge push from locally-based Gearbox Software, who tied in its Community Day proceedings with it in a separate hall. The developer set up a Community Fun Zone, where attendees could play classic games, buy goods and chat with Gearbox developers (including president Randy Pitchford), as well as check out panels delving into the company’s hotter properties, including BattBorderlands and the forthcoming Battleborn.

Really, though, there was a well-balanced focus between both video and card games. As much space as there was devoted to bigger items like the new Nintendo 3DS (which releases next month) and Twitch superstars, there was more than enough space for board games, in which hundreds sat around tables and played for hours on end.

And the show, despite its smaller setting, turned out to be a vast success. IGN reported that the attendance for the debut of PAX South was even bigger than either of the debuts for PAX East and PAX Australia, indicating that it would no doubt return for future iterations – and likely in a bigger format.

So what does this mean for companies Well, for those based in Texas, it’s big news, because it allows them to reach out to their local community better than any other event before it. Sure, there are GameStop midnight premieres where fun can still be had, as well as community days like Gearbox usually holds. But this event allows the group as a whole to come together and have a good time, while also learning about folks who are in their own backyard.

That doesn’t mean bigger companies can’t benefit, though. Nintendo’s booth was a smashing success, driving up interest in the new Nintendo 3DS (despite initial skepticism, as the system will not come with a traditional AC adapter cord), and Twitch broadcasted panels from the event all weekend, keeping a strong viewing audience at home interested in everything that was going on. Logitech and Alienware most likely drummed up some interest in the hardcore PC gaming community as well, bringing various pieces of hardware for attendees to try out.

It was a risky move to launch an event like this, especially sandwiched between CES in Las Vegas and the forthcoming PAX East, which will no doubt be a bigger hit when it launches this March. Regardless, the Penny Arcade team has proven that, no matter where it seems to launch a show, success is likely to follow. Especially from local developers who want to find a way to reach out better to their community, aside from online activities and occasional side events that may or may not gain a big audience.

In other words, prepare for more PAX – because it’s coming.