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Tokyo Game Show officially canceled, planning potential online content and showcases

Katy Kelly May 9, 2020
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Netizens are understandably disappointed, but many are just excited they’ll get to partake in the show virtually.

On May 8 a news announcement was made on the official Twitter of the Tokyo Game Show, a yearly event where new video games, consoles, and industry ideas are unveiled to the public — this year there would be no physical Tokyo Game Show.

COVID-19 is still a present threat, and Tokyo Game Show draws crowds of fans from all over the world. The official statement cites this as the reason that the show, intended to occur this September at the Makuhari Messe convention center, would no longer take place.

▼ The event was planned to span four days from September 24 to 27, 2020.

新型コロナウイルス感染拡大防止のため
幕張メッセでの開催を中止しオンライン開催を検討

9月24日（木）～27日（日）に開催予定の「東京ゲームショウ2020」につきまして、幕張メッセでの通常開催を中止し、オンラインによる開催方法を検討いたします。#TGS2020 #東京ゲームショウ #TGS2020ope

— TOKYO GAME SHOW／東京ゲームショウ (@tokyo_game_show) May 8, 2020

To be more specific, the show will no longer take place in the physical realm. The announcement given by the organizers highlighted the risks a physical event would pose to exhibitors, visitors, and executives’ health, but also promised that the 30th Tokyo Game Show would instead be held in a purely online space where guests can receive all the information and updates that the Tokyo Game Show typically delivers but without any risk of exposure to the virus.

According to an earlier press release, this year’s theme for the Tokyo Game Show was to be “The Future Touches Gaming First”. Emphasis was to be put upon new technologies, accessibility and adaptability, and potential futures for the video game scene, including the incorporation of cloud data and 5G streaming. Attention was also given to introducing gaming into new spheres such as fashion, education, and the arts, with a dedicated showcase area intended for such efforts.

While many users reacted with heartbreak and disappointment to the news on Twitter, others were optimistic.

“I guess you guys didn’t have any other option. I’ll go next year for sure. Thank you for holding it online for us.”
“I’m excited to see how they’ll hold the event online.”
“Coronavirus has taken everything from me.”
“I couldn’t go last year because of the typhoon. And now I can’t go this year because of the virus!”

While Tokyo Game Show attracts huge attention from industry workers and consumers alike, its location, cost of access, and language barrier means that many people who wish they could take part are unable to do so. An online event may let even more fans engage with the novelties that lie ahead, meaning the Tokyo Game Show and its exhibits will be even easier to enjoy from afar than it has been in the past.

Top image: ©SoraNews24
Source: Twitter/@tokyo_game_show via Hachima Kiko
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