Festivals - Japan Expo 2026: From World Premieres to Prestigious Competitions and Historic Anniversaries, Video Games Celebrate All Generations

By Mulder, 01 july 2026

Beyond the presence of major Japanese creators, this twenty-fifth edition of Japan Expo also stands out for a series of premieres that underscore the trust placed in the French festival by leading international publishers. For four days, the Gaming Arena will thus become a true showcase for the video game industry, where visitors can discover unreleased titles, attend exclusive presentations, and sometimes even try out certain games before their release. This close connection between studios and the public is one of Japan Expo’s long-standing strengths. While major announcements are traditionally reserved for major American or Japanese trade shows, several publishers have chosen Paris to unveil their new releases to a particularly passionate European audience. This choice reflects France’s growing influence in the global video game ecosystem—a market that now ranks among the largest in Europe in terms of both the number of players and cultural consumption.

Among the most eagerly anticipated studios is Arc System Works, whose productions hold a unique place in the Japanese video game landscape. Renowned for the excellence of its fighting games as well as the quality of its technical achievements, the studio will use Japan Expo to offer a true journey into the heart of its creative process. On Saturday, Satoshi Hirayaé, director of the development team at Unite Plus Inc., a subsidiary of Arc System Works, will provide a behind-the-scenes look at several projects that have left a lasting impression on fans of J-RPGs and action games. His career perfectly illustrates the studio’s evolution, from developing fighting games to ambitious narrative productions such as Sword Art Online and CRYMACHINA. This talk is expected to address the many challenges faced by modern Japanese developers: the evolution of graphics engines, international expectations, the adaptation of popular franchises, and the balance between storytelling and gameplay. The following day, fans of versus fighting games will have the chance to meet Shoichi Kitazono and Daimon Abe, 2D artists for Guilty Gear -Strive-, at a community event centered around one of the most prestigious franchises in contemporary fighting games. Winner of the Best Fighting Game award at The Game Awards 2021, Guilty Gear -Strive- is now considered a technical benchmark thanks to its impressive art direction, which creates the constant illusion of a moving animated film. The simultaneous presence of the artists and professional players promises particularly insightful discussions on the artistic choices that have shaped this iconic series.

Another must-see event will feature Bandai Namco Entertainment, which will host a series of exclusive presentations centered on several major franchises. Visitors will notably have the opportunity to attend a preview screening of Unanswered//butterfly, a brand-new anime set in the Sword Art Online universe to accompany the release of the game Echoes of Aincrad. Directed by Tadahiro Yoshihara, who has already garnered attention for his work on Star Wars: Visions, this project will feature new characters facing the ruthless rules of the virtual world imagined by Reki Kawahara. The screening will be accompanied by an exclusive message from Yusuke Futami, the game’s producer, once again demonstrating the Japanese studios’ commitment to establishing direct dialogue with their European community. At the same time, visitors will be able to see the first images from ACE COMBAT 8: Wings of Theve, the latest installment in a franchise that is considered the gold standard in arcade flight simulation. The demos promise spectacular dogfights in increasingly realistic environments, continuing a series whose origins date back to 1995 and which continues to impress with its technical mastery.

However, Japan Expo’s lineup isn’t limited to classic Japanese titles; it also spotlights the industry’s major new players. Cygames will take over Hall 6 with a space entirely dedicated to Granblue Fantasy: Relink – Endless Ragnarok. Visitors will be able to try out the game on PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch 2, while enjoying numerous activities, exclusive merchandise, and meet-and-greets with the franchise’s official voice actors, who will be making their very first appearance in France for this event. For several years now, Cygames has been pursuing an ambitious strategy of expanding its universe far beyond the mobile game that made it initially successful, producing numerous anime adaptations, console games, and international collaborations. This significant presence at Japan Expo confirms the studio’s growing interest in the European market.

It’s impossible to discuss this year’s event without highlighting the impressive setup deployed by Nintendo, which will use the festival to showcase its new Nintendo Switch 2. The Japanese manufacturer will offer a large demo area where visitors can try out several unreleased titles designed to demonstrate the console’s capabilities. Fans of laid-back games will be able to discover Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, Pokémon Pokopia, and Tomodachi Life: A Dream Life, while players seeking action will find Star Fox—a spectacular remake of Lylat Wars—Mario Kart World, and Mario Tennis Fever. True to its philosophy, Nintendo will also emphasize the fun and friendly nature of its franchises by hosting free tournaments and public on-stage demonstrations throughout the event. This family-friendly approach perfectly reflects the spirit of Japan Expo, where several generations of visitors come together each year to share a common passion.

One of the major new features of this twenty-fifth edition is the Japan Expo 25th Anniversary Versus Fighting Tournament, an exceptional competition featuring Street Fighter 6. Designed specifically to celebrate this anniversary, the tournament will bring together Europe’s top specialists in Capcom’s famous fighting game. The final qualifying rounds will take place on Friday and Saturday, leading up to a grand finale on Sunday on the Také stage. Sixteen competitors will vie for a spot in the Top 8 to share a prize pool of 2,000 euros. Beyond the competitive aspect, this tournament perfectly symbolizes the evolution of Japan Expo, which is now capable of hosting high-level esports events while retaining its deeply cultural identity.

Anniversaries are, in fact, one of the central themes of the 2026 edition. While Sega and Atlus celebrate the 30th anniversary of Persona, the MO5 association—a European leader in the preservation of video game heritage—will dedicate a major exhibition to the 35th anniversary of Sonic the Hedgehog. In partnership with the Planète-Sonic website, volunteers will transform their booth into a veritable time capsule tracing the evolution of Sega’s mascot since its first appearance on the Mega Drive in the early 1990s. Visitors will be able to replay the original games on vintage consoles, participate in speedrun challenges, break high-score records, and interact with enthusiasts who dedicate their time to preserving this digital heritage. As David Soumet, vice president of MO5, explains, Sonic now extends far beyond the realm of video games: the blue hedgehog has become one of the most iconic symbols of 1990s popular culture. This retrospective will highlight just how deeply the history of video games is now woven into that of global cultural heritage.

Finally, the other major event of this year’s festival will undoubtedly be the debut—for the first time in the festival’s history—of the Ankama Convention, which will be directly integrated into the heart of Japan Expo. Spanning nearly 4,000 m², the French studio will celebrate its twenty-fifth anniversary by offering a total immersion in the worlds of DOFUS, WAKFU, DOFUS Retro, DOFUS Touch, and WAVEN. Visitors will be able to participate in “The Quest for the Six Dofus,” a vast interactive journey spanning all areas of the convention, meet the development teams, discover several projects still under wraps, and watch live Twitch streams. A major retrospective will also look back on a quarter-century of Ankama’s history, from the launch of DOFUS to its expansion into animation, publishing, and contemporary video games. This unprecedented collaboration between two major institutions of Francophone popular culture highlights the prominent place French creations now hold alongside the biggest Japanese productions.

(Source: press release)