Report: Nintendo To Attend Tokyo Game Show

Online reports are claiming that Nintendo will rent a large-scale booth at the 2007 Tokyo Game Show to show its hardware and software for the first time since the resurgent game expo’s inception in 1996, as the success of the Wii and DS in Japan continues. Although Nintendo has often sponsored the Tokyo Game Show, and used the business day of the show to make major announcements, the company traditionally does not operate a booth on the show floor. Previously, Nintendo has preferred to rely on its SpaceWorld expo, which in turn has limited the number of third party Nintendo titles at the Tokyo Game Show. But Nintendo has not hosted a SpaceWorld since 2001, and a report on game weblog Kotaku has claimed that: "Multiple, highly placed insiders confirm that [Nintendo] will be in attendance [at the 2007 Tokyo Game Show], which is one of the reasons why TGS is four days this year instead of three." The report is thus far unconfirmed by Nintendo. Weblogs including Kotaku and an analysis piece on Wired's Game|Life have speculated that the upcoming release of Dragon Quest IX on the Nintendo DS has also been a factor in Nintendo’s decision, with a new game in the series often proving a focal point for the show. If proved correct, Nintendo’s attendance at the show is likely to be seen as further evidence of the company’s increasing dominance of the Japanese industry and a willingness to appear more approachable to third party publishers. If Nintendo’s attendance becomes a regular event, it is also likely to increase the importance of the Tokyo Game Show overall, as various international expos seek to fill the void left by the now severely downsized E3 event in Los Angeles.