The Tokyo Game Show opened on Thursday with a special area showcasing the latest artificial intelligence technologies to aid in video game development, as the industry struggles with a chronic labor shortage.
This year, a record 985 exhibitors from 44 countries and regions will participate and showcase the latest titles at one of the world’s largest games trade fairs.
One of the main highlights will be the AI Technology Pavilion, where select companies will showcase the various ways in which ever-evolving technology can be applied to game development.
The Tokyo Game Show will open at Makuhari Messe in Chiba on September 26, 2024. (Kyodo)
Spain-based AI startup HechicerIA is showcasing software that instantly converts text into 3D video, aiming to shorten game development times.
The software allows game developers to simply input sentences such as “a man approaches a woman in a hut” or “a man walks through the jungle” and generate appropriate 3D movies, freeing them from the burden of creating such material from scratch.
“Our main goal is to reduce costs,” said the company’s CEO, Alvaro Sáez, adding that the company’s technology has already attracted interest from major gaming companies. The software “can transform a script into a final video or animation very quickly.”
Nagoya-based startup TechnoSpeech is showcasing technology that uses artificial intelligence to provide smooth commentary for sports matches, and says its service has already been adopted by Konami Digital Entertainment Co. Ltd.’s latest baseball game.
Visitors take photos of Sony Interactive Entertainment’s latest gaming console, the PlayStation 5 Pro, at the Tokyo Game Show held at Makuhari Messe in Chiba on September 26, 2024. (Kyodo)
Among the exhibitors, Sony Interactive Entertainment returned for the first time in five years to unveil its latest gaming console, the PlayStation 5 Pro, which will be released on November 7th and will feature an upgraded graphics processor for improved image quality.
According to organizers, the Computer Entertainment Supplier’s Association, about 250,000 visitors are expected to attend the annual festival, which will be held at the Makuhari Messe convention center in Chiba prefecture near Tokyo.
The number of exhibitors is up from last year’s record high of 787, with more than 500 companies from overseas. The association says the event is expected to feature more than 2,000 titles.
Visitors experience a virtual reality game at the Tokyo Game Show held at the Makuhari Messe Convention Center in Chiba Prefecture on September 26, 2024. (Kyodo)
The first two days are mainly reserved for industry professionals and media reporters, with the general public being allowed in from Saturday.
General admission tickets cost 3,000 yen ($21) per day and must be purchased online in advance, not on sale at the venue. Children of elementary school age and younger are admitted free of charge.
The Tokyo Game Show, which began in 1996, is one of the world’s largest game exhibitions, alongside Germany’s Gamescom.
Organizers of E3, another industry show of a similar size in the United States, decided last year to cancel the event.
The Tokyo Game Show will open on September 26, 2024 at the Makuhari Messe Convention Center in Chiba Prefecture near Tokyo. (Kyodo)
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