MeetToMatch Business Matching Event Returns for Tokyo Game Show 2026
The high rate of Japanese companies meeting overseas firms last year, plus the early registration of major publishers and the addition of incubation program partnerships, points to MeetToMatch becoming a standard fixture in the Tokyo Game Show week for cross-border dealmaking.
Key Facts
- MeetToMatch - The Tokyo Edition 2026 runs September 17 to 20, 2026, during the Tokyo Game Show 2026 period.
- Japan-based companies can participate in MeetToMatch free of charge, with registration on the dedicated website.
- Last year, 571 companies from 45 countries participated, including 120 Japanese companies, and 93% of meetings involving Japanese companies were with overseas companies.
- As of 2026, 361 companies have registered on the MeetToMatch platform, including Bandai Namco Entertainment, Sega, Kodansha, and Shochiku.
- MeetToMatch is not affiliated with Tokyo Game Show and is not an official Tokyo Game Show service.
Reporting from 1 source: Denfaminicogamer.
MeetToMatch will hold its sixth annual Tokyo Edition from September 17 to 20, 2026, during the Tokyo Game Show 2026 period. The event connects Japanese game companies with overseas counterparts through pre-arranged business meetings. Japan-based companies can participate free of charge, with registration available on the dedicated website. Last year, 571 companies from 45 countries took part, including 120 Japanese firms, and 93% of meetings involving Japanese companies were with overseas partners. So far in 2026, 361 companies have registered on the platform, among them Bandai Namco Entertainment, Sega, Kodansha, Shochiku, Colopl, Drecom, G-mode, Kotobuki Solution, Crunchyroll K.K., 505 Games Japan, Active Gaming Media, Toylogic, and Chorus Worldwide. Meetings can be held at Makuhari Messe booths, public spots, rented rooms, restaurants, or online via Zoom, Google Meet, or a proprietary time-zone-adjusting system. Shochiku's Hiroaki Ishige noted that the most common contact he receives at conferences is from people who found him through MeetToMatch. The service is independent of Tokyo Game Show and not an official TGS offering.
- Xsolla is the title sponsor: the event is formally named "MeetToMatch - The Tokyo Edition 2026, powered by Xsolla."
- Four additional sponsors support the event: WhisperGames, Riotloc, Gamesporium, and Sail.Game.
- Seven regional partners are collaborating: KOCCA (South Korea), MDEC (Malaysia), Games from Spain (Spain), Ukie (UK), Brazil Games (Brazil), Sweden Game Arena (Sweden), and medianet berlinbrandenburg e.V. (Germany).
- This year marks the first formal partnerships with two Japanese studio incubation programs, iGi and SO-FU, with the shared goal of helping their developers build overseas relationships.
- Last year, Japanese companies held meetings with firms from 37 countries, including South Korea, Brazil, the USA, Spain, and the UK.
- 25% of all meetings last year were conducted online.
- Shochiku's Hiroaki Ishige also said the system has made "managing meeting locations and times much easier."
- Noriaki Kazama, senior producer at Natsume Atari, credited a detailed English company profile: "I received meeting invitations from overseas developers. Also, the participant list was very easy to read, so we could contact publishers ourselves."
- Registration accounts are created manually by the team, and due to the time difference between the Netherlands and Japan, it can take 1-2 business days to complete.
- A MeetToMatch account does not include entry to Makuhari Messe or Tokyo Game Show; a valid TGS pass is required for the business area.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.