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Wired: The Most Depressing Scenes From Tokyo Game Show

P

Poetic.Injustice

Member
CHIBA, Japan -- "Japan is over," Mega Man producer Keiji Inafune once lamented, visiting the Tokyo Game Show in 2009.

It's no secret that the Japanese game industry has long since lost the dominion it once enjoyed over the world of videogames. That's not necessarily a bad thing; a broader chorus of voices means a greater variety of video games. But every year the Tokyo Game Show feels a little emptier and sadder, even as it sets new attendance records. The people keep coming, there are just fewer Japanese video games for them to see. Some of Japan's biggest videogame makers sometimes fail to show up, and the ones who do sometimes don't bring any games with them.

WIRED is on the show floor and we've been collecting (and lamenting) the latest signs that Inafune-san might have been right. Here are the saddest, weirdest scenes from the Tokyo Game Show floor.
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20130919_142041-660x397.jpg


GREE is Japan's largest mobile gaming publisher and for the second straight year, their booth has stood tall in the central hall of Makuhari Messe, looming over all other booths save for Sony's. That's an awful lot of trade show real estate dedicated to free-to-play mobile phone games. Once the crowds show up on the public days, can you imagine waiting in line to see the latest tap-the-fish game?
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20130919_143328-660x397.jpg

And then there are the parts of the Makuhari Messe, which a few years ago would always be packed to the gills, that are now a ghost town. Major Japanese publishers Level-5 (the Professor Layton series) and Konami (Metal Gear, Castlevania) have no booths at all this year.
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20130919_164344-660x397.jpg


Tecmo Koei, publisher of the lucrative Dynasty Warriors franchise, had zero games in its booth. Instead, it put up a gallery commemorating the 30th anniversary of one of its earliest hits: Nobunaga's Ambition, a historical strategy game.
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http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2013/09/tokyo-game-show-gallery/
 
S

Sgt.Pepper

Banned
I remember there used to a lot of articles/threads about TGS years ago. I didn't even remember it was going on until yesterday.
 
Liamario

Liamario

Banned
Well, the show won't be able to sustain itself if there is nothing for the consumers to see. The offerings from those who did show up were underwhelming in comparison to other years.
There certainly isn't as much hype surrounding the show as there used to be.
 
Y

Yawnier

Banned
LOL at Tecmo Koei, they do have some games coming out in the near future like ROTK 12 on PS3, Vita, and Wii U off the top of my head but that is just pitiful.
 
V

Vashetti

Banned
How fucking grim.

The only big developer left clinging on seems to be SE.

I hope FFXV and KH3 are successes because I don't want to know what's going to happen if they're not.
 
entremet

entremet

Member
So sad.

As a gamer who got into gaming due to the great efforts of Nintendo, Capcom, Konami, and later fell in love with the output of Square (before Enix) SNK, Enix, Namco, KoiPro, and on. This saddens me greatly.
 
E

Espada

Member
entrement said:
So sad.

As a gamer who got into gaming due to the great efforts of Nintendo, Capcom, Konami, and later fell in love with the output of Square (before Enix) SNK, Enix, Namco, KoiPro, and on. This saddens me greatly.
Click to expand...

Yup, seeing them fall off so fast definitely makes me sad. That said, much of the blame lies with them. Japanese developers simply cannot get it together for whatever reason.
 
C

Cwarrior

Member
Tgs has been dead since 2008-09, barely any Japanese publisher have any games to show off or bring any thing substantial(i.e they're showing old trailers,dlc costumes and games that are already out in stores aka square enix showing)

I didn't even notice tgs this year, last year and the year before.
 
ShinMaruku

ShinMaruku

Member
Who in thier right mind would compare tgs with gamescom anyway?

We all knew this would be lower key. If in 2 years it's like this then you can react poorly.
 
L

Lulubop

Member
I laughed every time a poster said wait for TGS in regards to a specific Japanese game reveal, as if TGS was a big deal any more
 
M

Mengetsu

Member
Just a sad site to see...TGS was hype levels years ago. Me and my friend almost forgot about it this year. Stop with the mobile games Japan. Don't go like this please.
 
P

Pie and Beans

Look for me on the local news, I'll be the guy arrested for trying to burn down a Nintendo exec's house.
I wonder if the TGS/Nintendo bad blood/feud will ever end. I guess TGS probably needs Nintendo more than they need TGS at this point but its always felt a bit dumb Nintendo puts more of a spread on for E3, PAX, Gamescom et al than in their own country's big public gaming expo.

Last time I went to TGS was 2006. Big times with PSP gaining ground, the PS3 approaching, videogames galore and even Microsoft putting in effort. Always wanted to go back, but looks like its a pale shadow these days. Maybe next year will be better when companies have more to show or something with the PS4 out and dev... at least a bit more mature?

I found it particularly odd that MGSV wasn't playable. I guess thats further off than expected :(
 
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