TGS 2022 Suffers a Nearly 50% Decrease in Guests, But 'Nothing Stops Gaming'

In a flash report to press attendees, the TGS 2022 press contact has announced that the event was able to bring in 138,192 Visitors over a 4-day period.

Those are impressive numbers in a post-Covid era. However, as I mentioned in my last post, the number of attendees was noticeably lower than in previous years.

The last time the event took place in person was in 2019, and the show brought in over 262,000 visitors.

That's around just 50% of their attendee numbers pre-Covid.

This is partly due to a max limit of visitors the event had to set on the event's public days, to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

We've Got to Start Somewhere

Konami showcase at TGS 2022

I'm sure the TGS committee knew to expect far fewer guests this year. Regardless of that, I applaud them for holding the event knowing that they'd get less of a return.

In their flash report, next to the total attendee numbers, they wrote their theme for the event this year:

"Nothing Stops Gaming"

And they're right.

If anything, the gaming industry only grew throughout the years of lockdowns and social distancing.

For many of us, video games are what helped get us through these hard times. Who can forget the key timing release of Animal Crossing when everyone needed someplace to escape to, without being able to leave their homes?

To revive in-person gaming events and bring a physical presence back to the industry, we've got to start somewhere.

While 50% of previous years' numbers isn't great, it's a start, and I'm sure the number of attendees will continue to rise next year and the year after that.

Countries and Companies in Attendance at TGS 2022

Re:Zero Infinity at TGS 2022

While the attendees may have been lower this year, we saw an impressive number of companies from various countries make it to the event.

There were a total of 605 companies and organizations hailing from 37 different countries and regions all over the world exhibiting at the event!

Advancements in Gaming Tech on Display

What impressed me most this year was the tech advancements being exhibited.

Blockchain Gaming

I really, really didn't expect any blockchain gaming companies at the event, but to my surprise there were many!

I had a great chat with double jump.tokyo about how they are bringing NFTs to some of Japan's most popular IPs, such as Tezuka Osamu's Astro Boy:

I also met with PlayMining and got to chat with a representative about all their current blockchain games and the ones they have in the pipeline.

VR at TGS 2022

Setting Meta aside (because I hate the company but love the Quest headset), there were many VR peripheral companies at the event this year.

One peripheral I've been waiting for is a haptic glove that could make it feel as though you were really holding objects in VR and possibly even feel their weight and textures.

Just from a quick walk through the venue, I saw not one, not two, but three companies exhibiting VR haptic gloves!

One of those companies Diver-X is pictured below. Their product is called Contact Glove.

Aside from gloves, we saw bHaptics showing off their newest haptic suits, Kat Walk showing off their VR treadmills, and Striker VR with a new take on the VR rifle stock.

Final Thoughts on Tokyo Game Show 2022 Numbers

While the numbers were lower this year, the enthusiasm of the attendees was the polar opposite. You could feel the excitement in the air from both guests and exhibitors to finally be out and mingling with their peers in the industry.

I'll be contacting some of the companies mentioned in this article directly to collaborate on deeper pieces about the work they're doing, so stay tuned for that!

Before I go, I'll leave you with these parting words to remember and tattoo on your arm: Nothing Stops Gaming.