Which E3 2019 events and companies should Japanese game fans be watching?

E3 2019 is here, and people might be wondering what to watch. The field has narrowed a bit. Sony is abstaining this year. A few companies that would normally have had booths or some sort of presence at the event won’t. Things might look a bit different. But, while things have changed a big, there is one thing people can count on. There will still be companies showing off Japanese games. Publishers could announce new localizations. A major member of a development team could appear. It’s important to keep tabs on such things.

Fortunately, there are plenty of booths, companies, and presentations to keep an eye on.

Which media briefings could have Japanese games in them?

It seems like there are four presentations people should watch in the hopes of Japanese game announcements this year. Two are practically guaranteed to have some sort of announcements or localization reveals.

• June 10, 2019 at 12pm PT/2pm CT/3pm ET: Limited Run Games will hold its media briefing. You can watch it here. It will apparently have some Vita-related announcements.
• June 10, 2019 at 4:30pm PT/6:30pm CT/7:30pm ET: The E3 Kinda Funny Games Showcase will be held. Sega revealed the Judgment localization and NIS America announced Lapis x Labyrinth at the last Kinda Funny Games showcase, so we could see something here.
• June 10, 2019 at 6pm PT/8pm CT/9pm ET: Square Enix is going to hold its presentation. You can watch it here. Expect Dragon Quest or Final Fantasy news.
• June 11, 2019 at 9am PT/11am CT/12pm ET: Nintendo will hold its E3 2019 Nintendo Direct. Expect, well, a lot! You can see it here.

As an aside, Nintendo Treehouse Live will run throughout E3 2019. People can tune in every day between June 11-13, 2019 to see upcoming games in actions or occasionally hear new announcements.

Which booths might have Japanese games?

There are a handful of companies that will most assuredly have Japanese games at their E3 2019 booths. Nintendo will no double be one of them. Sega, which will have Atlus also housed in its booth, is another. All of these companies are going to be in the West Hall at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Nintendo will have the most floor space reserved. Finally, you can count on Bandai Namco, Capcom and Square Enix too. Those three are all in the South Hall.

Another place to consider is IndieCade’s International Independent Game Showcase. This will take up a spot in the West Hall. In years past, games like Wattam have shown up here, so that means we could see one or two Japanese games at that booth.

What about this E3 Coliseum thing?

This is a whole new thing that is new to E3 2019. It is a stage event at The Novo in Los Angeles that offers different kinds of presentations that talk about certain games or kinds of games. It seems like it could be like the panels you would see at other sorts of conventions.

There is one at E3 2019 that could be a big deal for fans of Japanese games. Bandai Namco is hosting “The Strength of Fighting Games in Esports” on June 11, 2019. It will start at 5:30pm and last for half an hour. Since it was responsible for games like Dragon Ball FighterZ, Jump Force, My Hero Academia: One’s Justice, Soulcalibur VI and Tekken 7 as of late, it could end up being an opportunity to hear more about how it could support one or two of those games.