Social networking games installed on smartphones are having the call at the Tokyo Game Show in progress.
The Tokyo Game Show, one of the world's biggest games industry fairs, was opened to industry insiders and media on Thursday, and is accessible to the public from Sept. 22-23, at the Makuhari Messe Convention complex in Chiba, Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo.
The displays by leading social game company Gree Inc. and industry giant Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. are taking the central stage of the event, drawing a large crowd trying at some of the latest games.
Other relatively unknown social game firms such as Bushiroad and Gloops, are also boasting a larger display space than the past.
Of more than 1,000 software items on show, 407 games, or about 40 percent, are played on smartphones, marking a big boost from about 20 percent last year.
Industry professionals note that the market of games sold through discs and other media has been on a downward trend.
In Japan, most online games are intended for smartphones and cellular phones.
Even major publishers whose main products have been software run on game consoles are shifting their focus to smartphones.
The Tokyo Game Show, one of the world's biggest games industry fairs, was opened to industry insiders and media on Thursday, and is accessible to the public from Sept. 22-23, at the Makuhari Messe Convention complex in Chiba, Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo.
The displays by leading social game company Gree Inc. and industry giant Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. are taking the central stage of the event, drawing a large crowd trying at some of the latest games.
Other relatively unknown social game firms such as Bushiroad and Gloops, are also boasting a larger display space than the past.
Of more than 1,000 software items on show, 407 games, or about 40 percent, are played on smartphones, marking a big boost from about 20 percent last year.
Industry professionals note that the market of games sold through discs and other media has been on a downward trend.
In Japan, most online games are intended for smartphones and cellular phones.
Even major publishers whose main products have been software run on game consoles are shifting their focus to smartphones.
