2020 saw the cancellation of most, if not all, major gaming conventions, with the likes of Tokyo Game Show, E3, and Gamescom as the biggest casualties. Online events were set up instead, proving to be a good move as millions upon millions of viewers flocked to see the shows. Reports now indicate that Tokyo Game Show 2021 is already in the works and will be returning to a physical event scheduled for September 30 – October 3 to be held in Makuhari Messe, as per Siliconera.

Alongside the report, the Computer Entertainment Supplier’s Association (CESA) also released the official online viewership of the recently concluded Tokyo Game Show, with numbers breaching over 31 million across the various channels.

• YouTube: 4,050,963 (Japanese, English, Chinese)
• Twitter: 7,511,301 (Japanese, English, Chinese)
• Niconico: 1,726,014 (Japanese)
• Twitch: 875,350 (Japanese, English)
• TikTok LIVE: 98,012 (Japanese)
• Douyu: 1,069,377 (Chinese)
• Bilibili: 2,315,761 (Chinese)
• Douyin, Xigua, Toutiao: 10,590,828 (Chinese)
• IGN: 3,369,336 (Japanese, English)

Animal Crossing: New Horizons took home Game of the Year courtesy of the event because “Communication with close friends through the game and interaction with other players in events went beyond the bounds of a single game” and was voted on unanimously by all parties involved.