Earlier during the holidays this week, the first few bits of information about the 2024 Tokyo Game Show (TGS) were released here in the Philippines, and in this article, we’re going to recap all of the information that was presented during the private event.
The Tokyo Game Show 2024 Briefing was held at the Microtel Hotel in Pasay and welcomed different media outlets as well as members from the Game Developer’s Association of the Philippines. After an introduction by Joebert Yu from Gariath Concepts about Tokyo Game Show 2024 and the opportunities it holds for Gaming, Esports, and Indie Game Development in the Philippines, he proceeded to introduce two of TGS’s representatives.
Taiyo Tanabe and Shinri Endo are from the Tokyo Game Show Management Office and took turns discussing the details of one of the three biggest game conventions in the world.
Let’s get some things out of the way first. Unfortunately (for all of us gamers), they don’t have any news this early on about which new game titles will make their appearance at the event. However, if you’re interested in attending, or even setting up a booth at the event and representing your company, then we have everything you need to know right here!
TGS 2023 Recap
Tokyo Game Show is a four-day event that’s separated into two Business Days and two Public Days. Last year 44 countries participated. It featured 787 exhibitors and 2291 Exhibiting Titles occupying its 2682 booth units.
As one of the premiere gaming conventions in the world, there are many incentives to join in, especially if you want to get word out about your company or game. Chief among these is the sheer volume of foot traffic that the event receives–TGS 2023 had close to 250k attendees over its four days, a significant increase over the previous 140k attendees the year before.
Another great incentive was mentioned by Mr. Tanabe. He said, “If you join just even once, you can always brag that your company or product was part of the Tokyo Game Show”.Â
TGS 2023 received a generally positive response from most of its exhibitors both domestic and international, and most of them expressed the intention to do so again this year.
Tokyo Game Show 2024 Briefing In The Philippines: Venue
Just like last year, TGS 2024 will be held at the Makuhari Messe in Tokyo and will make full use of the whole place. All of its 11 Halls will be utilized for more booth space, and it will also feature an Event Hall and International Conference Hall.
Halls 1-8 will contain the Event Stage, Game Academy, Business Solution, Smartphone Game, and General Exhibition booths, while booths 9-11 will feature Esports, AR/VR, Indie Game, Merchandise, Gaming Hardware, and Gaming Lifestyle Booths.
Business meetings will be held at the International Conference Hall, while the Family Game Park will be located at the Event Hall.
All Halls will have a minimum of 40 booths that will be set up in a dispersed manner to ease congestion.
One new notable feature is that TGS 2024 will also allow Online Exhibitors through their Official Exhibitor Program called the TGS Digital World 2024 (formerly called TGSVR).
Travel Assistance
Going to Japan requires a Visa application, and to ease the difficulty of traveling to the event, TGS is collaborating with one travel agency per country to help out. At the time of the briefing though, no agency was named yet, but it was assured that they are in talks with one.
TGS Official Influencer
TGS is also launching a call for entries for the official overseas influencers that will represent their respective countries. Only one person will be picked per country or region. To apply, an influencer has to have more than 100k followers on any platform. Winners will be picked by the end of June and will be revealed in early July.
Exhibition Fees
Ok, let’s get down to business. There are two basic rentals at TGS 2024 for your company–one is a 3mx3m space only that costs JPY 385,000 (roughly PHP 147,000) per booth unit, while the other is a smaller Turnkey booth that costs JPY 275,000 or PHP 105,000.
Multiple booth units are encouraged for bigger exhibitors, and multiple configurations are shown depending on their preferred booth size.
They also offer “Shell Scheme” booths at JPY 539,000 or PHP 205,000. These include white side and back walls, Fascia and Punch Carpets according to the exhibitor’s color, Company Name Plate, two 40W Fluorescent Lamps, one 100V 900W Two-socket electrical outlet, a reception desk set, and a white display table with storage.
Business Meeting Area
For the business Meeting Area TGS offers two different booths – a meeting room booth that costs JPY 539,000 or PHP 205,000, and a Basic Table Space that costs JPY 220,000 or PHP 87,000.
Regulations for booth decorations will not be changed from last year and will apply to booth elements like Video Displays, Trial Play Stands, Location and Direction of Speakers, Sound Volume, Height restrictions, etc.
There were a few other booth rules set as well such as:
- A booth’s temporary waiting area not exceeding 4m.
- Displaying products of other companies (e.g. sponsors) should not exceed 30% of the booth area (10% instead for Esports booths).
- Complete move out of the booths should be done by 10 PM on Sunday, September 29, 2024.
- No on-site streaming studios. Any videos shown should be pre-recorded, and any streaming can be done at the Remote Studio / Stage for an additional fee.
For Online Exhibitors, the cost will be JPY 275,000 and will include their name listed on the official list on the TGS website, their information on the introduction page, and complimentary use of the TGS Business Matching System.
Official Exhibitor Program
Exhibitors can also avail of time slots to advertise their brand or company during the Official Program that will play throughout the four days of the event. Each slot is 50 minutes total and up to 2 consecutive slots can be purchased.
A General Slot costs JPY 2,750,000, including tax, and will be played from 12 PM to 5:50 PM, while a Golden Slot costs JPY 3,850,000 and will be played from 6 PM to 11:50 PM.
Special discounts are also offered to those who have previously purchased slots in TGS 2023.
TGS Steam Page
Just like last year, a special TGS page on Steam will be up around mid-September – showcasing different categories of games such as Just Announced, Trial, New, and the Selected Indie 80.
AI Technology Pavillion
One of the new changes this year is the AI Technology Pavillion, which features exhibit categories such as AI Dev Tools, AI Platforms, and AI Technology Solutions.
Business Meetings
The business side of TGS promises to respond to a variety of business needs by providing opportunities for physical meetings, online meetings, or a mix of both. They cited opportunities such as business partnerships, merchandising, content purchasing, and overseas deployments as benefits.
An important note is that physical meetings are only allowed during the business days of September 26-27, afterwards only online meetings are allowed from September 28-29.
Because of the success of the Business meeting area last year, TGS 2024 promises an increased area this year.
TGS Business Matching
TGS has a matching system to better serve exhibitors and visitors by pairing them with each other according to their specific needs. Every year has been an increase in the success of this system, with 2023 having a record high of 2,355 meetings established.
Access information will be available for exhibitors by late July and the program will start operations by August 9. Exhibitors both on-site or online can register and upload documents, videos, and images of their company. Registered Business Visitors with a Gold Pass can be matched with exhibitors and fellow visitors, while those holding the regular Business Day Pass can only be matched with exhibitors.
Forum Sponsorship Session
Exhibitors can also avail of conference session slots throughout the two Business Days of TGS, which are categorized into Physical Venue Sessions and Online Sessions.
A Regular Session with a maximum of 120 people for 60 minutes costs JPY 1,320,000, while a Short Session with a maximum of 60 people for 30 minutes costs JPY 880,000. Esports Conferences are only limited to 60 people and 30 minutes and cost the same as a Short Session.
For online conferences, a TGS Online Session slot costs JPY 550,000 for 30 minutes. The same rate and duration also apply to Online Esports Conferences.
Finally, TGS assures that there will be plenty of advertising space both on-site and online.
Tokyo Game Show 2024 Briefing In The Philippines: TGS 2024 Indie Game Project
One of the definite highlights of the briefing that got the game developers at the venue really excited was the announcement of the “Selected Indie 80” and the “Sense of Wonder Night” presentation.
The Selected Indie 80 is exactly what it sounds like – eighty Indie Games will be selected by TGS and will be allowed to exhibit for free at the Selected Indie 80 booth in the Indie Game Area. They will also be given free support including PCs, monitors, and interpretation services, as well as introducing their works in a special program.
Meanwhile, the Sense of Wonder Night (SOWN) is a presentation contest of “surprising” works. Eight finalists will be selected from the Selected Indie 80 to showcase and pitch their works and receive one or more of the 7 different awards during the Audience Award Grand Prix event.
The application period for entries is currently ongoing – from February 29 to April 30, 2024, and is done via the official TGS website. It was also noted that applicants don’t need to have a complete game to apply.
Influencer Benefits
TGS also has various benefits for attending influencers, who fall into two categories.
Invited Influencers include Official Supporters, Official Influencers, and Exhibitor-invited Influencers, and are granted free entry and access from the first Business Day.
General Influencers can only go from the second Business Day with a registration fee of JPY 1,100. They need to be pre-registered and approved by TGS and meet the following criteria:
- Over 30,000 followers on a single platform or
- Over 50,000 followers on multiple platforms and
- Create content that is not offensive or immoral.
Creator Lounge
TGS 2024 will also feature a Creator Lounge, which serves as a destination for influencers and consists of a mix of lounge spaces and working spaces.
Sponsorship plans for this space are available for Exhibitors to showcase their brands to influencers who are visiting the area.
- Up to 10 slots are allocated to Game Title Sponsors such as Game Publishers, Developers, and Distributors at JPY 1,650,000 each with no competitive exclusion.
- Up to 3 slots are allocated to Gaming Sponsors such as Gaming PCs, Gaming Monitors, Gaming-related Devices or Services, and Gaming Furniture at JPY 2,200,000 per slot with competitive exclusion applied.
- Finally, up to 3 slots are allocated to Non-Exhibitor, Non-Gaming Sponsors such as General Consumer Goods, Food, or Beverages at JPY 3,300,000 each with competitive exclusion applied.
Exhibitor Schedule
Booth applications will close on May 24, 2024. After that, meetings will be held with the different exhibitors from June 10 to July 4 regarding their booths, with those who purchased more booths taking priority.
Ticket Release Schedule for Visitors
Finally, the information that everyone’s waiting for so we can start making our plans! The Public Ticket Release Date for Visitors will be around mid-July for Japanese attendees, and late July for International attendees.
Business Day tickets for everyone will also be available in late July.
The Briefing was concluded by Solon Chen, Vice President of the Game Developer’s Association of the Philippines, encouraging everyone to join the event and represent the country at the Tokyo Game Show.
Excited about TGS 2024? Take a trip down memory lane with our coverage of two of the popular booths at the event all the way back in 2016!
