"Tokyo Game Show" held online for the first time How the festival changed September 25, 6:30
The world's leading game exhibition "Tokyo Game Show" has begun.
This year was held online for the first time to prevent the spread of infection, and the festival of games, which is crowded with many people every year, has changed.
This year's Tokyo Game Show began on the night of the 24th with the start of distribution of videos introducing game software on the Internet.
The Tokyo Game Show is one of the world's leading game festivals, with many companies and organizations from Japan and overseas participating in the Makuhari Messe in Chiba City every year, and more than 260,000 people visited last year.
However, this time, in order to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus, the exhibition at the venue was canceled and the sponsoring organization distributed the video.
For the general public, 33 companies including game makers will deliver videos of 1 to 2 hours in order for 4 days until the 27th, and introduce new software.
This means that people who watch the video can immediately purchase the software and products they like through online shopping.
"The good thing about online is that people who couldn't come far from the venue and people from overseas can easily enjoy it. The more time I spend at home, the newer I think it goes well with people who come into contact with the game. "
The Tokyo Game Show is open until the 27th.
This year's game industry market is expected to expand
Even under the influence of the new coronavirus, the game industry is expected to expand against the backdrop of so-called nesting demand from people who spend their time at home.
Software that is gaining worldwide popularity is software that allows you to interact with other players in the virtual space during the game. Of these, Nintendo's "Animal Crossing: New Clothes Forest" is 2240 in the world in the three months until June. It is a record hit that sells 10,000 copies.
The game console "Nintendo Switch" that can use this software also continued to sell well, and Nintendo's business performance for the three months to June increased 6.4 times compared to the same period last year.
Against this backdrop, major manufacturers will release new game consoles one after another in November.
Of these, Sony will release the new "PlayStation 5" for the first time in seven years.
In addition to supporting clearer 8K image quality, a model with a lower price has been prepared instead of making the software download-only.
We are responding to the movement that the number of people who buy software at stores is decreasing and the number of people who download it is increasing.
In addition, Microsoft in the United States will also release a new model of the game console "Xbox" for the first time in seven years.
It is characterized by high processing speed.
With the introduction of new game consoles one after another, the game market is likely to become even more competitive for the year-end sales season.
Expert "Software that connects everyday and digital will increase demand"
Atsuko Yamamura, an analyst at Nomura Securities, who is familiar with the game industry, commented on the characteristics of the games that are selling after the spread of the new coronavirus infection. Everyday life is inside. Demand for software that connects everyday life and digital is growing significantly. "
In addition, Mr. Yamamura said that the background of the strong game market is the digitization that makes it possible to download software and purchase it online. You can also sell old products at the same time. Also, because you sell directly to users, you can flexibly adjust the price according to demand. "