Video game changer: Japan developers reset strategy in 5G era

Companies eye esports and cloud services for next-generation growth

20190912N Tokyo Game Show

Fifth-generation wireless technology is changing the way people play, and watch, video games. (Photo by Akira Kitado)

NATSUMI KAWASAKI, AKIRA KITADO and YOSHINO SAKURAI, Nikkei staff writers

TOKYO -- Video game developers in Japan are searching for ways to drive the next stage of growth and play catch-up with foreign peers in an industry that is changing at light speed with the 5G wireless technology revolution.

On the first day of the Tokyo Game Show 2019 -- one of Asia's biggest video game exhibitions -- Thursday, a group of people stood around empty tables, intently looking at their phones. What was grabbing their attention at mobile carrier giant NTT Docomo's booth was a battle featuring 3D digital characters from Capcom's Street Fighter series, enhanced with augmented reality, or AR. Spectators could view the battle from different angles as they moved their phones.

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