KUALA LUMPUR: The video game industry faces an uncertain future this year and next, but its trade shows and exhibitions remain a hit. Case in point: Tokyo Game Show 2026.
Crowds and queues were larger than before from Sept 17-20, as visitors checked out the latest offerings from major publishers and developers, including Capcom, Konami, Bandai Namco, Sega/Atlus and Square Enix.
Indie developers also enjoyed the spotlight, with major exhibition areas dedicated to them. These included companies such as Red Dunes Games, which houses Southeast Asian titles such as HellHeart Breaker (Battlebrew).
Typhoon warnings, however, forced organisers to cancel the fifth day, which was meant to celebrate the show’s 30th anniversary.
Official attendance figures had not been announced at the time of writing, but this year’s edition appeared to draw larger crowds than last year’s, buoyed by the anniversary and its line-up of upcoming titles and merchandise.
Together with June’s Summer Games Fest 2026, the event shows that there will always be room to celebrate video games, even briefly, while creating opportunities for business and growth in hopes of a better future.
Whether major companies are planning big releases or indie developers are making waves, there is a future worth fighting for despite the layoffs and restructurings.
Short Beats
Xbox has laid off 268 employees as game studio Rare moves to Activision. Activision will now handle the first-person shooter Halo franchise and its existing games.
According to recent insider reports, Halo Studios (formerly 343 Industries) may eventually be shut down, with only 30 employees remaining. Many Halo projects were at early conceptual stages, but no major work was being done.
Obsidian Entertainment (Outer Worlds, Avowed) has moved to Bethesda Softworks, while Playground Games and Turn 10 Studios (Forza titles) have merged into one entity.
Ninja Theory (Enslaved, Hellblade series) has been closed after sales agreements fell through.
The NeoGeo AES+, a newly made console recreating the original NeoGeo on a one-to-one basis, will be released in September 2027 instead of late 2026. The current global chip shortage has forced SNK and Plaion to re-engineer the console.
Op-Ed
We cover the new games at Tokyo Game Show 2026 in this handy feature.
We also interviewed Sukeban Games’ co-founder Christopher Ortiz about his breakthrough title VA-11 Hall-A and upcoming action title .45 Parabellum Bloodhound.
Games Of The Week
CONTROL Resonant is an action-adventure open-world title by Remedy Games. This sequel to 2019’s CONTROL follows Dylan Faden as he searches for his sister, Jessie, while helping the Federal Bureau of Control repair a warped-beyond-belief Manhattan and combat alien entities known as HISS. Out for PC and consoles, it is our top pick this week for its aesthetics, story, gameplay and exploration-slash-search-action elements.
Silent Hill: Townfall is a new survival horror entry in Konami’s Silent Hill series. Set in 1996, it follows Simon as he discovers fragments of the past in the deserted town of St. Amelia, Scotland, from a first-person perspective. Out for PC and consoles.
Dressmaker is a cosy simulation in which you play a dressmaker creating clothes for customers in a relaxed setting. This indie title is out for PC.
Graveyard Keeper II is the sequel to the “most inaccurate medieval cemetery simulation” out there. Manage the game’s graveyard, set up automated production trees, lead your undead army into battle and turn your zombie problem into a business. Out for PC.
Rivage is a first-person sci-fi puzzle adventure set on a space station trapped in an otherworldly phenomenon. Play as Miranda as she explores, solves puzzles and uncovers the fate of the missing crew.
Qliphah in Providence’s Shadow is a 3D turn-based role-playing game focused on countering enemy attacks. Developed by Arc System Works and UnitePlus, it is out for PC and consoles.
Recommended Viewing
Fighting game pro and content creator Brian_F brings renowned fighting game players and commentators Idom, HookGangGod and Majin Obama together for an in-depth discussion on the state of the genre.
The video podcast touches on recently “dead” games such as 2XKO and Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls, and how the community needs to keep its favoured games alive more than ever despite current metrics.
