TOKYO GAME SHOW 2018 Has Begun!

Featuring a record 668 exhibitors from 41 countries and regions!

e-Sports comes to the forefront! TGS as a global hub of the video game business

The Tokyo Game Show 2018 (Organizer: Computer Entertainment Supplier’s Association [CESA, Chairman: Hideki Okamura], Co-organizer: Nikkei Business Publications [President: Suguru Niinomi], Venue: Makuhari Messe; henceforth TGS2018) starts today. TGS2018 will be held for four days from September 20th (Thu) to the 23rd (Sun). The first two days (20th, 21st) are Business Day for video game industry insiders and the press, while the latter two days (22nd, 23rd) are Public Day.

668 companies and organizations from 41 countries and regions exhibit on the venue. Breakdowns are 338 Japanese and 330 oversea exhibitors. (Last year there were 292 Japanese and 317 oversea exhibitors.) The number of domestic exhibitors has exceeded 300 for the first time. As oversea exhibitors have gone beyond the last year’s record in number.

TGS2018 will be held in the overwhelmingly largest scale. 1,568 game titles have been registered to be exhibited in advance.

Visitors have exceeded 250,000 for five years in a row since 2013. On top of booths and stages on the venue, a live video streaming in three languages, Japanese, English and Chinese is enhanced. TGS2018 carries the global industry updates and provides new experiences to the game funs across the world.

[Tokyo Game Show 2018 Exhibitor Overview] (as of September 20th, 2018)
Exhibitors: 668 (last year: 609)
Booths: 2,338 (last year: 1,930)
Countries and regions: 41 (last year: 36)
Exhibiting titles: 1,568 (last year: 1,317)

◆ A newly spreading fun and pleasure e-Sports and live video streaming

The Tokyo Game Show sets the theme “Welcome to the Next Stage”. With growing excitement over e-Sports in Japan, “e-Sport X (cross)”, a grand stage for e-Sports will be organized by Japan esports Union (JeSU) founded in February 2018.

On the first day, 20th (Thu), two e-Sports events are scheduled: a report meeting by the Asian Games contestants and e-Sports international friendly match, Japan vs. Netherlands . Two special stages, BLUE STAGE and RED STAGE, are built and each stage carries approx. 600 seats. During Public Day, 22nd and 23rd, a wide range of competitions of eight game titles enjoyable for kids and adults, will be held.

Aiming to be an international event that supports e-Sports players in competing around the world, the e-Sport X will deliver the heated battles from the stages of TGS2018. TGS Official Live Streaming Channels , niconico, Twitch, DOUYU TV will broadcasts a variety of events and updates in TGS including e-Sports X stages.

◆ Indie game developers get together for active business meetings

A total of 668 companies (338 companies from Japan, and 330 from overseas) are exhibiting at this Tokyo Game Show this year. Many more companies are exhibiting in areas such as the Smartphone Games Area and Indie Game Area. Ever wider varieties of companies and organizations are participating the Show.

Together with professionals and amateurs, corporations and individuals beyond nationality, the indie game developers exhibits their unique and refreshing games for all the types of platforms at Indie Game Area. The area size has expanded to 154 booths, from the last year’s 121. Increasing number of indie developers recognize TGS as a place to release their new games. The meetings with publishers are their common goal in TGS. In the era we see no boarder in a global business, TGS would play an important role as a worldwide hub for the game market, where games for all sorts ofplatforms assemble.

Nathan Stevens

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I have always enjoyed playing video games and am a programming team lead for a video game company. I co-founded Gaming Cypher because I enjoy the gaming community and would like to provide the best news service around. Feel free to ask me any questions and I will make sure to get back to you quickly.