After several years of TGS running a reduced show or no physical in-person show at all due to the pandemic, 2023 is the first year Tokyo Game Show has returned to full strength, filling out the multiple halls of the famed Makuhari Messe convention center for a full 4 days of gaming. Starting with the first 2 business days and opening up to the general public for the last two days, Tokyo Game Show 2023 remains one of the last big gaming conventions on the yearly calendar now that E3’s future is uncertain.
Contrary to it’s name, Tokyo Game Show is actually held a little outside of Tokyo, in Chiba but luckily the train network makes the journey fairly straightforward, taking a little over an hour from central Tokyo. Disembarking from Kaihim Makuhari Station, the path to Makuhari Messe is easily found by either following the signs or simply following the flow of people also making their way to the event amidst the heat of a lingering summer (Japan’s hottest on record).
Inside the convention centre, hundreds of companies, but and small were presenting their wares, with certain company booths grouped into specific themed areas, like the esports area, the PC gaming area and surprisingly the ‘NFT gaming’ area (apparently these are a lot more popular and have less pushback from companies and consumers in Japan than in the West). It’s not just Japanese companies on show at this event but developers, manufacturers and support companies from all over the world.
The heavy hitters like Square-Enix, Capcom, Sega and Bandai Namco are easy to spot in their large multi-area booths with each also having a stage area where they would have panels, developer talks and various stage shows and events like the Persona 3 & 5 dance numbers and the voice actors from Ryu Ga Gotoku performing the karaoke songs from the games at the Sega Booth.
These individual stage events and events in the main stage area in the separate hall also were host to several world premiere announcements and reveals. Square Enix had several stage events throughout the weekend, including a panel with the people behind the ever popular Final Fantasy XIV, and Bandai Namco revealed more info about the upcoming Tekken 8 with Micheal Murray and Harada Katsuhiro.
Even though the Makuhari Messe convention centre is quite spacious, the huge number of people in attendance on the weekend during the public days definitely made it quite warm inside, especially with the outdoor temperatures in the high 20s to low 30s most of the time. You’ll definitely want to bring a bottle of water along to make sure you don’t get too dehydrated!
You can check out more of our coverage from Tokyo Game Show 2023 soon!