1,000 Worlds Clash at Tokyo Nathan Post (Gunma)
Ahead of me an enormous frost dragon roared behind a man in glittering armor. To my right, two women were fanning themselves with cash from a bathtub full of money. To my left, a man posed with a sword taller than he was. Behind me, two robots loomed high over their surroundings. And all around me were the sights and sounds of the 2019 Tokyo Game Show. If you’re not familiar with the event, TGS is an annual trade show that plays host to the world’s biggest video game companies, as well as a plethora of independent games and developers, as they come together to show off the newest titles and innovations in the industry to each other, the press, and the public. The show takes place over four days every September at Makuhari Messe, near Kaihin Makuhari Station in Tokyo. It is open exclusively to industry insiders on the first two days, and then to the public on the following two. This year the show ran from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. each day with an admission fee of 2000 yen for the public. If you’ve never been to TGS, it’s hard to fully comprehend the levels of insanity, passion, and money that surround the event each year. This year, the show attracted more than 260,000 people over its four days. That translates to huge crowds, massive displays, and hundreds of millions of yen spent vying for your attention. This year’s show included some of the biggest upcoming titles of 2019 and 2020, including Final Fantasy VII Remake, Cyberpunk 2077, Marvel’s Avengers, Death Stranding, and more. There was also a greater emphasis this year on VR developments, with one of the show’s eleven(!) event halls dedicated solely to VR and AR gaming.
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