Microsoft once again skipping this year’s Tokyo Game Show, no word yet on their own show

Microsoft skipped the Tokyo Game Show in 2015, opting instead to put together their own event to highlight their gaming offerings to that market. We argued at the time that the decision wasn’t particularly important, given that the Xbox isn’t particularly competitive in Japan against the Sony PS4 and Nintendo WiiU and that not all successful gaming companies in Japan attend the show.

Here’s what we had to say about the decision last year:

While it’s well known that Microsoft’s Xbox One console is often outsold by Sony’s PlayStation 4 and Nintendo’s WiiU, any speculation that Microsoft’s absence from the Tokyo Game Show is a sign of the company’s withdrawal from Japan is premature. Despite being one of the largest gaming events in Japan, the Tokyo Game Show has nowhere near the equivalent popularity of North America’s E3. Also, companies that are remarkably successful in Japan, such as Nintendo, have never had an official presence at the show either, so involvement with the show shouldn’t be overanalysed as a sign of strength or weakness. There’s also the fact that this isn’t the first time Microsoft has refrained from appearing at the Tokyo Game Show in an official capacity and the company could always return for future shows (as they have done numerous times in the past).

Apparently, Microsoft is taking the same approach this year, after a strong E3 2016 last month. The Tokyo Game Show, running on September 15-18, 2016, has a full list of participants including Dell’s ALIENWARE, Intel, Capcom, Square Enix, Sega, Konami, and more. Although Sony will be a prominent exhibitor, according to Yibada.com, Microsoft is nowhere to be found.

It’s entirely possible that Microsoft will hold their own show, but there’s no word one word one way or another. We’re guessing that the company will hold an event of some kind, given the impending announcement of the Sony PlayStation Neo and the launch of the Xbox One S, and we’ll let you know as soon as we find out. Let us know in the comments what you think about Microsoft’s decision to skip the Tokyo Game Show again in 2016.