Taipei Game Show 2024 kicked off on the 4th and 5th floors of the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center on January 25th. Despite the first day of the exhibition coinciding with a cold wave, the enthusiasm of the visitors remained high. Some even braved the chilly winds the night before to secure the limited early bird gifts. This year’s exhibition is the largest in the past three years, bringing together 377 exhibitors from 26 countries and regions. The B2C Zone showcased over 300 games, including unreleased titles from major international developers and publishers, and spotlighted new releases. The B2B Zone was equally bustling, with streams of business visitors looking to get their badges on the first day. The networking space and public meeting rooms in the B2B Zone were packed with industry professionals, and the Asia Pacific Game Summit brought in full audiences for all 9 speeches and panels on the first day. High-level executives from well-known game developers in Japan, Korea, and other countries were in attendance, underscoring the importance of the Taiwanese market. The first wave of visitors entered in the morning and, as exhibitors opened up their booths with grand openings, an even larger wave of visitors surged in later in the day.
Kapra Meow's Charming Dance, Global Debut Games Draw Huge Crowds
With the 4th-floor venue opened, game developers and publishers pulled out all the stops to welcome visitors. The event was kicked off with a lively dance by Kapra from GRAVITY COMMUNICATIONS’s Ragnarok ORIGIN. As soon as the day began, the 3D RPG game Zenless Zone Zero welcomed a long line of visitors eager to test the game out. Nintendo, as the largest console booth of this event, went all out to create a themed area, bringing Super Mario Bros. Wonder, Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, Pikmin 4, and The Legend of Zelda among other popular titles and a lineup of 20 unreleased games. The booth was bustling with crowds eager to try out the hundreds of consoles onsite and meet their favorite characters at the photo meet-and-greets.
Bandai Namco Entertainment has lined up a series of spectacular events, featuring appearances by the producers and development teams behind new releases such as NARUTO X BORUTO Ultimate Ninja STORM CONNECTIONS, MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM BATTLE OPERATION 2, and Jujutsu Kaisen: Cursed Clash, sharing the latest information of the titles. Additionally, the global debut of the Nintendo Switch version of Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown Premium Edition was available for trial, much to the delight of fans. Masahiko Takeuchi, the producer of the mobile game The Eminence in Shadow: Master of Garden, adapted from a popular light novel, also took to the stage to share the joys and challenges of game development, giving the audience a glimpse into the little-known secrets behind the games they love.
More than that, Taiwan Mobile Co. has joined forces with Riot Games to present six of their hottest titles. The non-stop stage events ranged from gamer’s challenges to an exclusive interview with Teamfight Tactics developers. Additionally, the Valorant development team made a personal appearance to discuss the behind-the-scenes secrets of the game's creation and engaged in a lively Q&A session with enthusiastic fans, sparking yet another wave of excitement.
Record Size for Indie House, Industry Prominent Figures Impressed
Board Game Wonderland Celebrates 10th Anniversary with Generous Giveaways
This year's Indie House, the haven for indie games, boasts its biggest edition ever with over 150 games dazzling visitors. Crowds of gamers excitedly flocked to various booths for trial plays, while Mr. Shuhei Yoshida, Head of Indies Initiative of Sony Interactive Entertainment and a major figure in the industry, expressed his appreciation for the section’s significant expansion compared to last year. Serving as a judge for the Indie Game Award, he emphasized that many entries had impressed him during the judging phase. Although he has yet to tour the entire area, he is determined to return in the coming days to interact with developers.
Meanwhile, Board Game Wonderland, celebrating its 10th anniversary, gave away tons of gifts with nearly 80% of board game vendors and studios offering exclusive discounts at the exhibition. Visitors can enjoy discounted board games while celebrating the grand anniversary at TGS and have the opportunity to win a Nintendo Switch OLED.
Full Attendance at the Asia Pacific Game Summit
B2B Zone Bustles with Networking Business Visitors
The Asia Pacific Game Summit (APGS), now fully returned to physical event again, saw an unprecedented lineup of speakers, with full attendance for each session. The morning featured Kevin Chiao, Head of Business Development of Google Play Taiwan and Hong Kong, who shared insights on the latest advancements at Google Play and the integration of Gemini AI technology. Kimmy Lin, Senior New Business Manager at Moloco, explored future operational directions for games through machine learning. From Japan, Masami Yamamoto, Executive Officer, and Game Development Dept. Director / Producer at SHUEISHA GAMES, brought perspectives on future growth based on his professional experience. Chen Jingbo, Senior Vice President / Head of Greater China at Xsolla, discussed strategies to help games develop and increase overseas revenue. Becky Tan, Senior Business Development Manager at Worldpay, shared the strategic importance of payment solutions in the gaming industry.
In addition, during the afternoon session, APGS co-hosted with the Asia Silicon Valley Development Agency, bringing in the highlight of the day: Metaverse Forum. Roy Chiang, Senior Director of Business Development at HTC VIVERSE, with years of involvement in the metaverse, Ethan Cheng, Founder of BEARVFX, and Kordan Ou, Founder and CEO of KryptoGO, each presented their observations on the latest trends in the metaverse. Under the guidance of Paul Lee, CAO of the Asia Silicon Valley Development Agency, the trio, with their extensive industry experience, delved into the future of the metaverse in conjunction with Web 3.0 and AI.
APGS, in collaboration with the National Development Council Asia Silicon Valley Development Plan, will present the "Dedicated Session: Metaverse Forum." This forum will explore the fusion of generative AI, Web 3.0 technology, and the metaverse.
Also, APGS will have a “Dedicated Session: Emerging Technologies in Game Development”, collaborating with Alibaba Cloud and Gaia Information, covering AR technology, blockchain, Web 3.0, and cloud integration. It will also address the network security challenges and innovative practices in the future gaming world.
There will be more exciting sessions focusing on game development, operations and marketing, cloud services, financial transactions and payments, the metaverse, AI, blockchain, and Web 3.0. Renowned international companies like Cloudflare, Google, Moloco, Inc., The Game Marketer, Worldpay, Xsolla, and others will provide a comprehensive analysis of the gaming industry. Seize this final opportunity to register for free and listen to industry leaders share their insights.
TGS STAGE Hosts Non-Stop Excitement
Don't Miss the Thrills of Taipei Game Show ONLINE
This year's stage will feature over 20 esports competitions and events, with more than 10 popular game titles making appearances to meet players. Today's "Fight at TGS STAGE" lively combat event had audiences cheering loudly, while the popular mobile game Blade & Soul 2 will make its return to the stage tomorrow. Also lined up are the ROG "League of Legends" 1v1 Arena and the adorable "Egg Party" Ultimate and Brawl matches. The highlight will be the "Just Dance 2024" TGS Entertainment Contest with a hefty prize pool. Don’t miss out on a clash of gaming titans tomorrow at TGS.
In addition to the bustling offline activities, this year's Taipei Game Show ONLINE will bring exciting content to online gamers, including interactive stages linked to the exhibition site. Bandai Namco Entertainment's TEKKEN 8, FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH, and other exciting events from Falcom X CLE will grace the stage. The new gaming platform Funtico, dedicated to bridging the gap between Web2 and Web3 games, will provide a comprehensive ecosystem to satisfy players' needs. It will also unveil its flagship title "Heroes of the Citadel," where players will venture into a fantasy world filled with danger, bounties, and challenging missions. Only with comprehensive strategy, excellent decision-making, and resource management skills will players be able to defend the citadel against formidable foes.