This 2021 Tokyo Game Show, like last year’s, is an online affair. There is a teeny tiny in-person area with minuscule booths. The public is not allowed in, and even Sony doesn’t have a booth. But you know who does? IKEA.
Make sense, because the Swedish furniture maker’s gaming collection does look pretty good!
According to our colleagues at Gizmodo Japan, while it would take at least thirty minutes to walk through the entire show floor on the press day, it only took five minutes to check out the show this year. Sega and Atlus have a booth as does Konami, SNK, and Capcom, but the show is, by Gizmodo Japan’s estimate, about 1/12 the size.
Most of the event hall isn’t booths, but rather, meeting rooms. The in-person portion does look to be more about taking meetings and networking.
As mentioned above, the event is largely online — I mean, the name of the show is Tokyo Game Show 2021 Online. The inclusion of a vastly reduced show floor is the Tokyo Game Show’s way of easing back to normal. (I do wonder if the enormous booths of yore will return once the show gets back to normal in the future. Maybe? Maybe not?)
今年はなんとIKEAのブースも！ 北欧デザインのゲーミング家具、かなりいい感じ #TGS2021 pic.twitter.com/fX573hK7xa
— ギズモード・ジャパン (@gizmodojapan) September 30, 2021
One surprise, however, is that IKEA has a booth. Over the last few years, the amount of gaming furniture, especially gaming chairs, on display at TGS has increased noticeably, so it’s not a complete shock to see IKEA. But considering how there’s no PlayStation booth, IKEA putting in an appearance is certainly noteworthy. Heck, it would be even if this were a normal year and a normal show.
This is a TGS first for IKEA. Their booth is part of ASUS’ Republic of Gamers’ booth, which you’d expect because the gaming furniture line is a collaboration between the two companies.
But in a year in which the offline event is so reduced, just seeing an IKEA branded area with their gaming furniture is a good indication of how serious the Swedish furniture company is about gaming.
For more photos, check out Gizmodo Japan’s TGS show floor photos, as well as its pics of the IKEA booth.
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