[Press Release] Game Connection America 2016 Showcases Eleven Japanese Game Developers

 

 

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - This Wednesday saw the conclusion of Game Connection America 2016, a three-day gaming tradeshow conference designed to connect publishers and developers in the global gaming industry. The conference featured attendees from over fifteen different countries, including Korea, Spain, Argentina, Switzerland, and Wales.

 

The event was held at the San Francisco Giants’ AT&T Park, with each company hosting a booth for meetings, gameplay, and product demonstrations.

 

JETRO featured eleven companies from Japan at this year’s GCA 2016, including popular developers such as Compile Heart (a subsidiary of Idea Factory), CyberStep, and f4samurai. For many of the companies, the event represented a chance to find new business partners for creative and distribution purposes.

 

“Game Connection offers us the opportunity to find talented studios to work with,” said Laurie Jezequel, Rroject Manager for Compile Heart. Compile Heart, which produces between 40 and 50 titles a year, focuses on RPG and Visual Novels. “We release largely on PS Vita, since that’s where the Japanese market is, but there are many global opportunities via other platforms,” Ms. Jezequel added. “Being able to come here and find studios we can work with— it’s important to reaching new audiences.”

 

  

The networking opportunities at GCA 2016 were not limited to the gaming industry. JSA Entertainment, a global business development service, connects game companies with other product channels, including toy production and animation. “Sometimes game companies find their product can take on a whole new life when introduced as a toy or video,” said Eiji Ohnobu, Corporate Officer, Director of Business Development for JSA Entertainment. “There are endless options when you look at adapting a product… [JSA Entertainment] helps companies find the right connections. We assist with everything from product promotion and business strategy to helping find the actual toy manufacturers and video animators. Game Connection is a way for us to partner the right companies with one another.”

 

Over the course of the three-day event, which hosts annual events both in the U.S. and in Europe, hundreds of business meetings were held, offering attendees a chance to both connect with global connections and also appraise the competition.

 

JETRO attendees included Ambition, a mobile game developer and publisher, DICO, a mobile and PC game developer and publisher, Vanguard, a well-known developer and publisher of smartphone games in Japan, and Live2D, a software platform that allows creators to turn static 2D images into 2D models that can be rendered real-time in gaming platforms.

 

JETRO is a regular sponsor of Game Connection America. American companies interested in establishing an introduction with one of the gaming companies represented by JETRO can do so through the JETRO San Francisco office. JETRO is a non-profit, government funded organization that works to promote mutual trade and investment between Japan and the world.