The Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association (CESA) today (July 6) released the official website for visitors of the Tokyo Game Show 2022 (TGS 2022), which is scheduled to be held at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, Japan from September 15 to 18, 2022. In addition, the main visual for TGS 2022, created by illustrator Kukka, was also unveiled.
Tokyo Game Show 2022 will be held under the theme of "Games Never Stop". It is a magnificent show where game-related companies from Japan and abroad will gather again for the first time in three years. The main focus of the show is on Japanese games, but some international developers also take the opportunity to showcase their upcoming releases and related hardware. The number of booths and companies this year has exceeded all past expectations.
More than 460 companies are going to be there, including 299 domestic ones and 166 overseas exhibitors, with over 1,900 exhibition booths, exceeding initial expectations of 1,500 booths. In addition, a record number of 583 titles were submitted for the "Indie Game Selection Exhibit," which allows developers to show their games free of charge, and 81 titles were selected as a result of this selection process.
A presentation event called "Sense of WonderNight" will be held online on September 16 to introduce the selected titles, creating a new opportunity to bring more indie games and original ideas to the limelight.
Mr. Kukka, the main visual artist has provided his own commentary on the theme and the visual direction, saying that he intended to create an energetic and lively impression by using pop colors and shades. The goal of this was to reflect how he feels about games nowadays, and that they became a regular part of our social connections and interactions. This is in contrast to the theme of last year's visual art and theme, 'We will always have games', which used more happy and cheerful colors like yellow to reassure fans in times of isolation and social distance.
This year has also shown continuous presence and growth for Xbox in the Japanese market, as reported by Famitsu and reflected in the number of total sales in comparison to Playstation 5. So, it's safe to consider that Tokyo Game Show 2022 might include many surprises by Microsoft and more expansion into the Japanese market. The recent Persona 5 port gave more evidence and weight to our expectations, and we feel this year's exhibit is going to be drastically different, for both Japanese fans and overseas players.