《TAIPEI TIMES》 Smaller Taipei Games Show opens featuring 300 firms

LIMITED EVENT: While the gaming industry profited from COVID-19-related trends, some big players skipped the Taipei fair to curb the spread of the virus

/ Staff writer, with CNA

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The Taipei Game Show opened yesterday with a series of virtual and physical events, and the number of in-person attendees limited to 7,000 per day due to COVID-19 regulations.

There are also fewer exhibitors than in the past, with major industry players such as Sony Corp, Microsoft Corp, Bandai and Google Play skipping this year’s editions over pandemic concerns.

For the first time in the past few years, neither Sony nor Microsoft are presenting their new hardware or software at the event at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, said the Taipei Computer Association （TCA）, which organizes the event held through Sunday.

The association had originally aimed to present about 900 booths to visitors, but later scaled down the event to 500 booths, it said.

At the gaming fair’s opening ceremony, TCA chairman Paul Peng （彭雙浪） said that visitors would be able to test the latest software of about 300 developers from more than 30 countries, either online or at the physical event.

The show features three themed areas: The “Indie House” area showcases 52 games produced by independent developers, the “Board Game Wonderland” features renowned games such as Minecraft, and the “Esports Tournament Stage” hosts gaming competitions.

As part of the fair, the Asia-Pacific Game Summit is held online, featuring the industry’s latest trends, and experts from Taiwan, China, France, Japan, Singapore, Thailand and the US.

The global games market generated US$159.3 billion in revenue last year, up 9.3 percent from 2019, Peng said, citing data released by Dutch firm Newzoo.

In many countries around the world, people spent more time gaming during COVID-19 lockdowns, causing the uptick, he said.

Visitors are required to sanitize their hands and present identification before entering the venue, as well as wear masks at all times and practice social distancing, Peng said.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES