Kotaku’s Brian Ashcraft, writing for the Japan Times Online, says that the Tokyo Game Show, while for the most a success, missed Nintendo somethin’ fierce.
“I thought it was going to be more out of control, like you couldn’t move,” says 33 year-old attendee Takashi Fujigaki. The floor at TGS 2006 was so crowded that it can only be described like attending the Super Bowl, a Beatles concert and the circus ’ at the same time.
Since Sony dominated the past two console generations, Nintendo wasn’t missed at the earlier shows really. Now, with the Nintendo’s Wii and DS ruling home console and hand-held gaming sales, its absence was profoundly apparent.
I know these shows cost an insane amount of money in marketing and buying floor space, etc., but Ashcraft has a point. Nintendo in this case could have basically sealed the deal with Japan by putting forth a modest effort (that’s not an opinion, either. Look at the numbers). Instead, they appeared as though they’re resting on their laurels. As a result, people were leaving this thing before the doors closed. And this isn’t some E for All conference, so you can be sure it wasn’t because this was a “bad show.” In fact, from all signs and portents it was very successful. However, people went, saw all the great stuff that was there, and left early. There was a hole in the coverage, so to speak, that Nintendo would have undoubtedly benefited from. Just my two cents.