The Asian indie game industry has seen intense activity since September, with this fall being particularly busy. Following the Tokyo Game Show, Tokyo Game Dungeon, and DigiGame Expo in Tokyo, the calendar continues with WePlay in Shanghai, G-Star in Busan, and G-EIGHT in Taipei.
There are many events that are mandatory for marketers and publishers in the indie game world to attend, and at least for me, the end of the year is approaching with no time to rest after the Tokyo Game Show.
By the way, there will be Taipei Game Show next month in January 2025, Tokyo Game Dungeon will be held again in Tokyo in February, Game Pavilion will be held in Osaka in March, Indie Game Summit will be held in Kichijoji, and so many other games will be held just in Japan. A related event will be held.
In this article, we will compare Shanghai WePlay and Taipei G-Star, two Chinese indie game events.
China’s largest indie game event WePlay
WePlay, which is held every year in Shanghai, was launched in 2017 as an indie game event, and this year marks its 8th year. WePlay originally started as an indie game event, but now we can see that they want to grow as a game event that is close to gamers, not just indies. However, it continues to be popular among both game fans and indie game professionals as an event that is close to indie.
Also in Shanghai, there is a large game event called ChinaJoy, which also has an indie game corner, but WePlay is run by members of the indie game community, so it has a very nice atmosphere.
A variety of titles were brought in from various organizations from Japan, including Famitsu, Shueisha, Shochiku, Neos, Asobism, SmileBoom, G-MODE, Wakuwaku Games, Indie Game Summit, and more.
Surprisingly, it seems like Japanese players are also doing their best, but when I asked the organizers, they said they would like more people to participate, and considering the size of the Chinese market, it would certainly be nice to have a few more Japanese titles. I feel it.
By the way, there were also game booths from Switzerland and Canada, and the titles exhibited were rich in international flavor, showing that WePlay is growing into an international event. All of the booths that were on display attracted a lot of people, and I think it’s a great place to promote indie games aimed at China.
By the way, SQOOL was on stage at the eve-like party,SQOOL GAME AWARDWhen we advertised it, we received a flood of more than 30 titles from China. According to him, there are many game developers and publishers who are interested in the Japanese market, but many are having a hard time finding opportunities to get exposure in Japan, and online game awards are in high demand.
Considering this situation, I wonder if SQOOL can not only participate as a media member at next year’s WePlay, but also have a booth with some services? That’s what I think.
G-EIGHT, Taipei’s popular event that has grown rapidly in 3 years
This was also my first time participating in G-EIGHT, an indie game event in Taipei.
G-EIGHT will be held for the third time this year, but like me, there were many Japanese people who were participating for the first time. The first one the year before last was very popular, so I heard about it last year and participated for the first time this year. Taipei is easy to visit from Japan, but the scale of the event is a little smaller than WePlay, so I felt there were still fewer Japanese participants.
This event is actually a rare event where the host is not a gaming person, but a Taiwanese influencer. Therefore, it seems that PR as a game event is still limited, and some local game-related people expressed concerns about this. However, it was a very good event, and there were many game fans enthusiastically playing the games at each booth.
G-EIGHT will be held at Taipei’s old exhibition venue called Flower Expo, which is also the venue where the SUMMER GAME SHOW was once held.
The venue has a somewhat idyllic atmosphere, and on weekends it feels like a festival with stalls lined up, and the atmosphere of gaming events held there is a little different from events in other countries.
The titles exhibited were mainly local titles from Taiwan, with Japanese titles such as PLAYISM, Shueisha, and BitSummit participating.
I also felt that the number of Japanese people was a little small, so I hope that the number will increase in the future.
Taiwan has a strong affinity with Japan, and it seems like a very good thing that a high-quality indie game event has been born there. Considering the number of media participants, I don’t think it will be enough to replace Taipei Game Show even if it targets only indie games, but if indie games are aiming for the traditional Chinese market in the future, Taipei Game Show and G- I think there is a strong possibility that we will have to exhibit at EIGHT.
By the way, at this event, they held a media tour for me in Japanese. I feel that gaming events in Taiwan are particularly generous to the media.
This event also features an adult game area, which is unusual for a gaming event. The adult game area is completely isolated, so I don’t think you need to be too aware of it, but if you are considering participating, I think it’s a good idea to be aware of it.
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