CHIBA, Japan – The Tokyo Game Show, one of the world’s biggest gaming events, kicked off Thursday with a record 1,100 exhibitors from Japan and abroad, including a growing presence of independent developers producing innovative titles with limited budgets.
Around 250,000 visitors are expected at the four-day annual extravaganza, held at Makuhari Messe convention center in Chiba, near Tokyo, according to the organizer, the Computer Entertainment Supplier’s Association.
The number of exhibitors broke the record of 985 marked last year, with some 600 coming from abroad and 500 from Japan. More than 1,200 titles will be showcased.
With the association increasingly emphasizing the importance of fostering next-generation creators, one of this year’s features is “indie games,” produced by smaller or independent developers.
At the venue, an initiative for supporting such video game developers called “Selected Indie 80” spotlights 80 titles chosen from a record 1,365 submissions, according to the organizer.
Among Japanese indie games is “The Exit 8,” a blockbuster walking simulator set in underground passageways, which was made into a film this year in Japan.
The gaming industry has been increasing its weight in the Japanese economy, expanding its market scale 1.5-fold to 31 trillion yen ($209 billion) over the five years through 2024, according to the association.
Launched in 1996, the Tokyo Game Show is one of the world’s biggest gaming events, alongside Gamescom, held in Germany last month. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry is a supporter of the Tokyo event.
The first two days are mainly reserved for the media and industry officials, with the public admitted on Saturday and Sunday.
AloJapan.com