Tokyo Indie Games Summit marked a record-breaking year, with attendance more than doubling for the third consecutive time and surpassing 23,000 visitors, according to organizer Phoenixx Inc. held March 8-9, the 2025 TIGS showcase continued establishing itself as a major growing fixture to Japan’s indie game scene.
Building on last year’s record number of 9,000 attendees, the Tokyo Indie Games Summit hosted more than 23,000 visitors during this year’s two-day festival featuring over 200 curated indie titles. The first-ever Tokyo Indie Games Summit ceremony, supported by Japanese Television broadcasting company BS Asahi, decorated titles that stood out through their embodiment of creativity and innovation.
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TIGS Award winners include:
Grand Prize
One Turn Kill (Deckbuilder / Strategy)
Developer: Waku Waku Games
Excellence Award
Yasha: Legends of the Demon Blade (roguelike JRPG)
Developer: 7QUARK
DevilConnection (visual novel adventure)
Developer: ChaoGames
Did you miss the Tokyo Indie Games Summit?
Replay the weekend’s festivities on the Tokyo Indie Games Summit official livestream, including panel discussions between indie game industry titans Shuhei Yoshida and Shunji Mizutani, the heated national finals for the competitive RTS Jelly Troops where developers themselves jumped into the fray with NIJISANJI VTubers, game trailers, gameplay previews, and much more.
Tokyo Indie Games Summit extends special recognition to this year’s partners, including sponsors Sony Interactive Entertainment, Pocketpair, Happinet Indie Collection, MBA International, PayPal, Hybrid Squad, ViviON, Chorus Worldwide, Kakehashi Games, JFR Group, Asahi Satellite Broadcasting Limited, Sacra Game Music, and Game Creator’s Guild. Additionally, special thanks to supporters Indie Game Incubator, PlayX4, Kids Programming Academy, event partners gamescom latam, India Gaming Show, IGDX, and Global Game Jam for their continued support.
Look toward the future.
Tokyo Indie Games Summit started in 2023 in Kichijoji, Musashino City, with the aim of becoming “a place where various talents of indie game creators can gather together and be inspired to pursue their goals.” For creators, it is “an opportunity to present their works and interact with users and creators.” For users, it is “an opportunity to discover and experience new games and creators.”
“Seeing the amazing energy of creators and fans from all over to come together in Kichijoji was truly inspiring,” says Kazuniori Sakamoto, founder of Phoenixx. “We are immensely grateful for the growth of TIGS, and are putting plans in place to ensure 2026 is our biggest year to date. Stay tuned for what’s next!”
With these record-breaking numbers, the future continues to shine brightly on the Tokyo Indie Games Summit. Until next year!
