Tokyo Games show dates, venue confirmed

The official website for the 2006 Tokyo Games Show has been updated to announce the dates and venue of this year's event, for which organisers are expecting a record attendance from both national and international trade and consumers.

The 2006 event will be held at the Chiba Prefecture's Makuhari Messe convention centre from the 22nd-24th September, the first day being reserved for trade members only as in previous years.

Organisers are expanding the mobile game-related areas of the show, in response both to considerable interest at last year's event and the rapid global expansion of the mobile gaming industry. Around 140 exhibitors are expected to be in attendance, including an increase in international exhibitors to bolster the 30 or so that attended last year.

Last year's event smahed previous attendance records as industry insiders and consumers alike scrabbled for news and demonstrations of the next-generation of consoles.

Although Sony and Nintendo have yet to reveal definitive launch plans for their entrance into the next-gen market, it is clear that even if one or both consoles have yet to launch by September, a considerable amount of software for both platforms will be on display at the event, and attendance for the 2006 show could easily dwarf last year's performance.

Organisers intend to update the English website and provide further details and registration options shortly.