Tokyo Game Show 2016 Preview: Schedule, What to Expect

The annual Tokyo Game Show, which has been going since 1996, is Japan’s largest video game expo/convention (much like E3 in the U.S.). This year’s event will run from September 15-18 at the Makuhari Messe, and as usual will be opened by a press conference from Sony, this year on the heels of their PlayStation Meeting and PS4 Pro revelation. Here is the stage lineup for this year as well as possible announcements to expect.

The stage lineup for the 2016 Tokyo Game Show has been announced by Sega and translated by Gematsu.

September 15
12:15 to 13:15 – Phantasy Star Online 2 – Featuring Satoshi Sakai (series producer), Yuya Kimura (series director), and others. The latest information on Phantasy Star Online 2, including a new collaboration, and an introduction to the contents and new MC of the renewed Niconico live program.
13:30 to 14:15 – Yakuza 6 – Featuring Toshihiro Nagoshi (series general supervisor) and others. Toshihiro Nagoshi shares his thoughts on Yakuza 6 and shares the latest information.
14:30 to 15:00 – Puyo Puyo Chronicle – Featuring Mizuki Hosoyamada (Puyu Puyo series general producer). The announcement of Puyo Puyo Chronicle promotional characters.
15:15 to 15:45 – Yakuza 6 – Featuring Masayoshi Yokoyama (chief producer, script and direction). Live gameplay of the Yakuza 6 Tokyo Game Show 2016 demo.

 

September 16 
10:30 to 11:00 – Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice – Featuring Takashi Iizuka (series producer) and Harumasa Nakajima (director). The latest information on Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice, and live gameplay from the development team.
12:15 to 13:00 – Titanfall 2 (Electronic Arts) – Coming soon.
13:30 to 14:15 – Yakuza 6 – Featuring Toshihiro Nagoshi (series general supervisor) and others. Toshihiro Nagoshi shares his thoughts on Yakuza 6 and shares the latest information.
15:15 to 15:45 – Valkyria: Azure Revolution – Featuring Youichi Shimosato (chief producer) and Takeshi Ozawa (director), and guests Yuka Kuramochi (talent) and Saki Yoshida (talent). Introduction to a battle overflowing with appearance and the sense of the battlefield.

 

September 17
10:30 to 10:50 – Sega Hard Girls Share Merchandise News – Featuring Manami Tanaka (Sega Mark III actress), Yuuko Takayama (Master System actress), and Yuri Yamaoka (Mega Drive 2 actress). An introduction to the new and recommended merchandise from the Sega goods corner.
11:00 to 11:30 – Sega 3D Fukkoku Archives 3: Final Stage – Featuring Naoki Horii (M2 president), Issei Shimomura (lead producer), Yosuke Okunari (series producer), and others. The latest information and a small talk about Sega 3D Fukkoku Archives 3: Final Stage.
11:45 to 12:15 – Titanfall 2 (Electronic Arts) – Coming soon.
12:25 to 12:35 – Sega Hard Girls Share Merchandise News – Featuring Manami Tanaka (Sega Mark III actress), Yuuko Takayama (Master System actress), and Haru Momono (Robo Pitcher actress). An introduction to the new and recommended merchandise from the Sega goods corner.
12:45 to 13:15 – Puyo Puyo Chronicle – Featuring Mizuki Hosoyamada (Puyu Puyo series general producer), Tetsu Katano (Puyo Puyo Chronicle producer), and guests Mie Sonozaki (Arle voice actress) and Honoka Inoue (Allie voice actress). An introduction to the game, live gameplay, and a discussion with the actors.
13:30 to 14:15 – Yakuza 6 – Featuring Toshihiro Nagoshi (series general supervisor) and others. Toshihiro Nagoshi shares his thoughts on Yakuza 6 and shares the latest information.
14:30 to 15:00 – Valkyria: Azure Revolution Stage Event – Featuring Youichi Shimosato (chief producer) and Takeshi Ozawa (director), and guests Yasunori Mitsuda (composer), Yuka Kuramochi (talent), and Saki Yoshida (talent). A discussion about the sounds of Valkyria: Azure Revolution. Plus, a surprise announcement!
15:15 to 15:45 – Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice – Featuring Harumasa Nakajima (director) and Shiori Izawa (Sega Hard Girls Mega Drive actress). Live gameplay of Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice.
16:00 to 16:45 – Persona 5 Release Commemoration! 20th Special Concert (Atlus) – A stage concert featuring the Persona series’ wonderful artists. Featuring Lyn, Yumi Kawamura, Lotus Juice, Shihoko Hirata, and others.
16:50 to 17:00 – Sega Hard Girls Special Ending Concert – Featuring Shiori Izawa (Mega Drive actress), Manami Tanaka (Sega Mark III actress), Yuuko Takayama (Master System actress), and Yuri Yamaoka (Mega Drive 2 actress). A special concert featuring the Sega Hard Girls.

 

September 18
10:30 to 10:50 – Sega Hard Girls Share Merchandise News – Featuring Manami Tanaka (Sega Mark III actress), Yuuko Takayama (Master System actress), and Yuri Yamaoka (Mega Drive 2 actress). An introduction to the new and recommended merchandise from the Sega goods corner.
11:00 to 11:30 – Yakuza 6 – Featuring Masayoshi Yokoyama (chief producer, script and direction). Live gameplay of the Yakuza 6 Tokyo Game Show 2016 demo.
11:45 to 12:15 – Chain Chronicle: Kizuna no Shin Tairiku Latest Information Stage – Featuring Jun Matsunaga (general director) and Hisashi Kobayashi (management director). The latest information, including this winter’s Chain Chronicle 3 and the Chain Chronicle: The Light of Haecceitas anime.
10:30 to 10:50 – Sega Hard Girls Share Merchandise News – Featuring Manami Tanaka (Sega Mark III actress), Yuuko Takayama (Master System actress), and Yuri Yamaoka (Mega Drive 2 actress). An introduction to the new and recommended merchandise from the Sega goods corner.
12:45 to 13:15 – LEGO Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (Warner Bros.) – Featuring Tatsuya Morita (LEGO game sales boss), Seishaku Takayama (LEGO gamer), and guest Misae Komori (model, talent). Live gameplay of LEGO Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.
13:30 to 14:15 – Yakuza 6 – Featuring Toshihiro Nagoshi (series general supervisor) and Hotaru Kenji (comedians, MCs). An overview of the game’s charm with the comedic duo Hotaru Kenji as MCs.
14:30 to 15:30 – Phantasy Star Online 2 – Featuring Satoshi Sakai (series producer) and Yuya Kimura (series director). News on the October update, a new collaboration, and the latest goods.
15:45 to 16:30 – Persona 5 Release Commemoration! Voice Actor Talk Show (Atlus) – Featuring Jun Fukuyama (protagonist voice actor), Ikue Otani (Morgana voice actress), Tomokazu Sugita (Yusuke Kitagawa voice actor), Aoi Yuki (Futaba Sakura voice actress), Soichiro Hoshi (Goro Akechi voice actor), and others. A special talk stage featuring the voice actors of Persona 5.
16:40 to 17:00 – Sega Hard Girls Special Finale Concert – Featuring Shiori Izawa (Mega Drive actress), Manami Tanaka (Sega Mark III actress), Yuuko Takayama (Master System actress), and Yuri Yamaoka (Mega Drive 2 actress). A special concert featuring the Sega Hard Girls.

(Source: Gematsu)

Expectations

As usual, Sony will be holding their annual press conference to kick off the Tokyo Game Show. This year’s conference is scheduled for Tuesday, September 13, at 4 p.m. JST (3 a.m. EST) and is expected to run for about 70 minutes. Since the company used their PlayStation Meeting last week to discuss hardware upgrades and they have no more planned for some time, it’s expected that they will mostly focus on upcoming software at this press conference.

Among last year’s announcements were several new games, such as Kingdom Hearts 2.8, Danganronpa 3, Gravity Daze 2, and King of Fighters 14; DLC for Bloodborne and Assassin’s Creed Syndicate; and Japanese release dates for Dragon Quest Builders and Dark Souls 3.

Some likely candidates include The Last Guardian, as Sony just announced that it has been delayed and that they will reveal more content prior to launch, and upcoming RPG Horizon Zero Dawn. They may have room to announce one or two new games, in addition to revealing more PS4 Pro games.

Considering that PlayStation VR launches on October 13, however, they could touch on that as well.

Square Enix has teased a new action game on their Tokyo Game Show website (via Dualshockers). It will be announced during the company’s presentation on their main stage on September 15 at 1:00 p.m. JST (12 a.m. EST). We can expect to see a lot of Final Fantasy XV from them as well, given the recent delay. Noticeably absent from their lineup are Kingdom Hearts 3 and Final Fantasy VII, but Kingdom Hearts 2.8, Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age, Dragon Quest X, and NieR: Automata will all be making an appearance. A surprise announcement is not out of the realm of possibility, and we’d certainly love a release window for either of those games, but we’re not expecting anything in that department.

Capcom’s lineup will highlight their upcoming titles Monster Hunter Stories and Resident Evil 7 biohazard. If the rumors circulating are any indication, it’s a strong possibility that we may see an announcement for Devil May Cry 5.

From Bandai Namco, it’s highly likely that we will see a release date for Tekken 7, as so far all we have is “early 2017”. It got a limited arcade release in Japan last year and is now set to release on PC in addition to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

Microsoft will not be attending the event, which is not unusual; PlayStation outsells Xbox in Japan by a huge margin, as Sony is based in Japan and generally sees far more Japanese releases. Last year, they held their own event shortly after TGS, but there has been no mention of one this year.

There were rumors circulating surrounding a possible NX revelation at Tokyo Game Show, but it turns out Nintendo will not be attending the event. The same rumors said that the updated PlayStation 4 would be revealed at TGS as well, so they were obviously unfounded. At this point, it looks likely that Nintendo will use a Nintendo Direct to unveil the NX sometime in early October.

Be sure to check back to Heavy.com for the Tokyo Game Show livestreams, as well as all any and all gaming news that comes out of the conference.

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