Tokyo eSports Festa 2023 ", an event organized by the Executive Committee including the Tokyo Metropolitan Government to promote eSports and related industries, was held for three days from January 27 (Fri.) to 29, 2023! In 2020, the first year of the event, the Tokyo Big Sight was filled with the excitement of e-sports, but in 2021 and 2022, the event was regrettably held online due to the new coronavirus outbreak. One of the advantages of e-sports is that it can be enjoyed online, but it is also sad to see the disappearance of major offline events. However, the long-awaited "Tokyo eSports Festa 2023" will be held offline! I had to go and cover it! So here is the event report from the second day of "Tokyo eSports Festa 2023"!
Tokyo eSports Festa 2023" has begun!
Tokyo eSports Festa 2023" is an eSports event organized by Tokyo eSports Festa 2023 Executive Committee consisting of Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Japan eSports Association, Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association of Japan, Japan Online Game Association, and Tokyo Big Sight Inc. Tokyo eSports Festa 2023 Executive Committee The event will feature an exhibition of e-sports peripherals and related technologies from small and medium-sized companies in Tokyo, as well as seminars and learning projects related to e-sports. In addition, an e-sports competition will be held on the main stage...
- Gran Turismo 7
- eBASEBALL Powerful Pro Baseball 2022
- Taiko Drum Master DONDAFUL FESTIVAL
- Puzzle & Dragons
- Puyopuyo eSports
- Monster Strike
The winners of each event and category will receive the "Tokyo Governor's Cup"! The winner of each event and category will receive the "Tokyo Governor's Cup"!
Gran Turismo 7
Saiga NAKThe Gran Turismo 7 finals began right away at 10:15 a.m.! Ryun, Tokari, Yuto, Yumu Ishimizu, Takuan, Akito Segawa, Taiga Ishii, and Kanet, the eight winners of the online qualifiers held beforehand, will open the second day of the "Tokyo eSports Festa 2023"!
Haruro Murata will provide the live commentary and Tomoei Yamanaka will provide the commentary.
The focus will be on Takuan andTokari, who have experience competing in the World Championships in Monaco. They also took first and second place in the time trial to determine their positions.
The two riders were going at it from the very first lap. When they swelled up at the hairpin curve, the second place driver, Tokari, attacked them! He is now in first place!
And 3rd-placed Segawa catches Takuan and overtakes him in the S-curve corner from the 2nd corner on Lap 2!
In the battle between 2nd and 3rd place, it was Tokari in 1st place who gained the advantage. He is the first place finisher in the battle for second and third place, and his steady driving keeps him from closing the gap.
First place finisher Tokari continues on to the final lap and finishes the race! He has successfully won the Gran Turismo 7 Final!
Interview after the race
- How do you feel about your own race?
Tokari: I decided that I would make a move in the first lap or in the last part of the race when the difference in tires would become apparent. I was ready to try it and if it didn't work, I was ready for the next one.
- How was the race after you got the first place?
Tokari : Once I got the first place, I had to keep the tires from wearing out and set consistent times, so I was happy that my practice with this in mind paid off.
- What is your enthusiasm for your future activities?
Tokari : This year I will turn 18 years old, so I will be able to compete in official world championships. From now on, I would like to work hard to become a driver who can be active in the world.
Trophy presentation
The winner, Tokari, was presented with the Tokyo Governor's Cup! Congratulations!
e-motorsports is a genre that has very thin boundaries with real life, and even people who are not familiar with games can get excited about it, so please take a look at the Gran Turismo competition! We also saw children wearing racing suits at the event, which made us realize that this is an aspect of the game that can be enjoyed by both parents and children.
eBASEBALL Powerful Pro Baseball 2022
The next event was the final of "eBASEBALL Powerful Pro Baseball 2022. Speed Stars led by Lizze Heruesta and Power Hitters led by Kaede Higuchi will clash! The four players who participated in the tournament are Taiju, Okude, Araki, and Pawahi, who won the online qualifying tournament held beforehand.
Ichiro Tanaka was on the air, and Lise Heruesta and Kaede Higuchi, members of the VTuber group NIJISANJI, were there as cheering leaders! Mr. Tanaka has acrylic panels on either side of him to help fight infection!
...and they look good on the feed!
Semifinal game 1
Saiga NAKFirst up is the first semi-final match between the Speedsters. It is a matchup between Taiju and Okude.
The Speedsters, a group of mobile baseball players, have a solid defense, and both teams enter the final inning with zero runs scored. And finally, Taige gets a big chance to load the bases with no outs!
But a shallow fly to the outfield and a painful double play get Okude out of trouble!
Okudesu's final at-bat of the inning. With two outs, he gets back-to-back hits to put runners at first and second, and then he hits a soft hit over the shortstop's head! He then uses his Speedsters pride to step on home base for the victory!
Semifinal game 2
Saiga NAKThe second semi-final game was then between Power Hitters' Araki and Pawahi.
In a change from the first game, this is a dream team of baseball players who boast of their power. The trajectory of the batted ball is high, high, high.
The game moves to the top of the 2nd inning. Pawahi catches a powerful straight ball low on the inside corner and hits a solo home run! He scores the first run of the game!
The pitcher takes over and Araki's "Kakkin!" on the first pitch of the game. He immediately scores a home run and the game is back to square one!
Another runner is saved, and he hits a long ball over the fence! With the win in the bag, Araki kept the momentum going, scoring six runs in the bottom of the second inning! Araki wins the second game of the semifinals!
Final
The final was Okude from Speed Stars vs. Araki from Power Hitters. Who has more speed or more power...!
The Power Hitters' strategy of putting Murakami, who is in great form, in the number one spot immediately shines through. A straight ball high on the inside corner, caught dead center for a first-base home run! That's Murakami for you! Araki, in the upper right corner of the screen, is also on a big gut-punching pose.
With another hit and two home runs, Araki's Power Hitters scored four runs in the top of the first inning! Okude of the Speedsters will try to get back on track from here.
The final attack by the Speedsters at 8-2. The Power Hitters' Araki came up with the winning run!
Post-game interviews
- The Power Hitters won the game!
Okude : It was a miracle that I won the first round, but the final game showed the difference in class. I would like to practice again. Thank you very much.
- The semi-finals were dangerous.
Araki: I was really nervous because I won last year and was going to win the championship for the second year in a row.
- The flashy home run was remarkable!
Araki : My weapon is to swing hard, so I was able to match up well and win with "power"!
- Finally, what are your intentions for the future?
Araki : I'm aiming for my third straight win!
Trophy presentation
In addition to the Tokyo Governor's Cup, the following prizes were awarded to the winner, Araki! Congratulations! Congratulations!
- eBASEBALL Powerful Pro Baseball 2022 in-game title
- 5-piece Power Pro merchandise set
- Gaming monitor
Taiko Drum Master DONDAFUL FESTIVAL
The "Taiko Drum Master DONDAFUL Festival" was held in two divisions, a parent-child division and a general division. OooDa-san provided the live commentary and Yomii-san the commentary.
Parent and Child Division
Let's start with the parent-child division. The first match will be between the "Tarako & Tuna" team and the "The Most Piquant Sword & Ra-Ra-Rau" team. In the parent-child division, the two teams compete on the basis of their combined score.
Tarako was modest in her enthusiasm, saying " I want to do my best not to make any mistakes," but by the end, she had achieved a full combo. He certainly did not make any mistakes. The next player, Maguro, also scored well, and the team of "Tarako & Maguro" advanced to the final!
Saiga NAKThe second match in the parent-child division will be between the "Oharu & Yuto" team and the "Pa Pa & Yutchan" team. When asked if they had confidence in their children, Yuto answered "so-so," while Yutchan answered humbly " not so much. Yutchan answered humbly, "Not so much.
In the first song, Oharu achieved a full combo. They have a big difference in score.
Saiga NAKYuto and Pappasan cleared the second song with more than 100 combos on each side! The score difference in the first song was too much for the "Oharu & Yuto" team to overcome, and they advanced to the finals!
The first song of the final was Tarako vs Oharu. Both players achieved full combos, but Tarako won due to the difference between "good" and "acceptable" scores. However, the difference was very small, so the winner depended on the performance of the second song!
Saiga NAKThe second song was Maguro vs Yuto. The two players were evenly matched in the beginning, but Yuto showed a steady beat, and by the end of the game, they had a full combo. Combined with the overwhelming number of hits, the "Oharu & Yuto" team won the competition!
Post-match interview
Saiga NAK- How was it?
Tarako: It was frustrating to lose, but I am happy that I was able to do what I had practiced for!
Tuna: I am really disappointed. Thank you very much!
- Congratulations!
Oharu : At first, I was losing to both mothers, but Yuto did a great job, so I'm glad!
- Did you feel nervous in the final match after losing a little?
Yuto : My mom was losing, but I was happy to get back in the game.
General Division
Saiga NAKThen the general division. The first semi-final match is between Slowly and Kazemiyabi.
The songs and difficulty levels were different from those of the parent-child competition, and the game was heated. The score was only "100 points" until the end of the song, but the winner was the player with a slight advantage with a series of hits that shook the camera on stage!
The second semifinal match was between Haru~n and Nattoman.
Haru~n won with a full combo of "Mawari Kitan", the well-known opening theme of the TV anime "Jujutsu Kaisen"! He advances to the finals!
The final game was played between Slowly and Haru~n. The final will be Yorshika's "So I Quit Music".
Saiga NAKBoth players played a full combo of good hits, but it was the last hit in a row that proved decisive, and the winner was Haru~n!
Post-match interviews
- How was your experience in this tournament?
Slowly: It had been a long time since I played in an offline tournament, so I put a lot of energy into it, but I was not able to take one step forward, let alone two or three.
- Congratulations!
Haru~n : Thank you very much. My heart is racing.
- How did the game go?
Haru~n : I was confident in my hitting, so ("That's why I quit music"), there was a string of hits at the end, so I wanted to hold out until that point and make the game a game of hits.
Trophy presentation
Saiga NAKThe winners of the parent-child category, Oharu & Yuto, and the winner of the general category, Haru~n, received the Tokyo Governor's Cup and an AKRacing gaming chair as a complimentary prize! Congratulations!
Pazdora Challenge Cup 2023 Final Round
The top 32 players of the "Puzzle & Dragons" smartphone game "Pazdra Challenge Cup 2023" won the right to participate in the main tournament. The top 32 players from the preliminary ranking dungeon in the game have won the right to participate in the main competition. 16 players will compete on the main stage at Tokyo Big Sight, the offline venue of the event.
OooDa will provide the live commentary, and Sue☆ and Kosuke will provide the commentary.
Semifinal Game 1
The first game of the semi-finals. The commentator, Mr. Koske, predicted that the border for Katiakap would be 150,000 points, but after the dungeon was over, he said, " The border is 160,000 points. After the dungeon, he corrected his prediction and said, "The border is 160,000 points. The high level of competition among the players was evident.
In the first semifinal game, konimana, Pri-chan, cstk, and Dai-ki all won their games! They will advance to the final.
Semifinal Game 1
The second semi-final match. There was a misconfiguration in the terminals of Yute and Sara♡, resulting in a rematch.
In the first semifinal game, Yuto, Yu-chan, Sara♡, and Natapa advanced to the final. Although Yuto and Sara♡ suffered from the accident, they did not disturb their own pace and showed their ability.
Final
The finals were held in three dungeons: "Summer Vacation Escamarica Cup," "Christmas Gremory Cup," and "10th Anniversary Cup. The player with the highest total score will be the winner.
Although the teams used by the players are standardized, each player has his or her own way of using skills and puzzle strategies. They fascinate the audience with their well thought-out strategies and out-of-the-ordinary puzzle skills.
The audience on the main stage was the most excited of the day. The audience was thrilled every time a great puzzle or an amazing score was found.
Here are the results after 3 dungeons! cstk won the "10th Anniversary Cup" with a shocking score of 195,326 points!
Interview after the game
- How do you feel about the final?
cstk : At the end of the second round, I was about 4,000 points behind first place, so I wanted the special bonus of 10,000 points. I tried to get the combo bonus, which seemed to be the easiest to get. In the end, the boss had a good board and I was able to get the maximum damage, so I was lucky to get the first place.
Trophy presentation
The winner, cstk, received the Tokyo Governor's Cup, a professional license, and an AKRacing gaming chair as an extra prize! Congratulations!
Substages and corporate and group exhibits
Behind the e-sports competitions held on the main stage throughout the day, there were e-sports related seminars and presentations on the sub-stage, and related industry exhibitions throughout the venue.
eSports professional player Mar-San (@Xavi6_Marsan) and eSports racer and real racer Yusuke Tomibayashi (@y_tommy504) took the stage at the Sub Stage.
You don't need a driver's license to enjoy e-motorsports.
The appeal of e-sports is that it can be enjoyed by men and women of all ages.
The qualifying and hands-on experience of Taiko Drum Master at the venue. I also enjoyed it on "Normal" difficulty!
The Minecraft Cup corner. The educational version of Minecraft is used in school classes and workshops.
The qualifying round of the Pazudora Challenge Cup 2023 was a great success.
The venue also has a kitchen car that smells great. Visitors could be seen playing lively games while filling their stomachs.
On the third day, the three-day "Tokyo eSports Festa 2023" came to a successful conclusion with an inter-student tournament, the Puyopuyo eSports finals, and the Monster Strike finals. It was the first time in three years that the event was held offline, but I got the impression that there were many family members in attendance. In the "Taiko Drum Master: DONDAFUL FESTIVAL," in the parent-child category in particular, there were many heartwarming messages of " Good luck, big brother! I realized how broad the scope of e-sports is.
Although e-sports has been attracting attention as a means of regional revitalization, it has been difficult to hold offline events due to the spread of the new coronavirus. While we are not yet "fully prepared," the successful conclusion of the "Tokyo eSports Festa 2023" has given us even greater expectations for future local government initiatives.