One of the most significant television broadcasters in Japan, Tokyo Broadcasting System Television (TBS) has announced its first major foray into video games. Given that the company has launched a website in both English and Japanese, it would imply that TBS has ambitions beyond the domestic market.
There aren’t any details about the venture or games in development just yet, but the company has published a brief vision, which suggests that the company does have some pretty broad ambitions:
“TBS is launching a full-scale entry into the gaming industry using our ultimate weapon: the power of content creation.
We are not a company that just makes good TV. We want to make experiences.
We will deliver the most impressive gaming experiences through consumer, mobile, PC, arcade, card, board games, and other gaming types to best suit our customers.
As with other famous game characters, we aim to turn our original IPs into household names through the creation of games that enrich the lives of players everywhere.”
Of course, it would make logical sense if TBS used its games arm to create games based on its more popular TV shows and properties. That being the case, we could see anything from Takeshi’s Castle to Ninja Warrior and Ultraman (though the latter is no longer with the network despite being with it for a very long time, so perhaps not).
Perhaps most intriguingly, however, is that TBS is the broadcast partner for the FIVB Volleyball championships and World League. Volleyball is one of the most popular global sports that does not have an at-least decent video game adaptation so… dare we hope?
Whatever the case, this is one new game production company worth watching.
