Japan Game Awards 2026 Unveils Detailed Schedule and Judging Panel
The Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association (CESA) announced detailed information for the Japan Game Awards 2026, which marks its 30th edition on September 8, 2026, while revealing that the Game Designers Award…
The Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association (CESA) announced detailed information for the Japan Game Awards 2026, which marks its 30th edition on September 8, 2026, while revealing that the Game Designers Award will conclude with its 17th edition this year.
The Game Designers Award was established in 2010 at the 14th Japan Game Awards upon a proposal by Masahiro Sakurai. Moving away from general voting methods centered on commercial sales or trends, it was created to discover titles possessing exceptional creativity and innovation from a developer's perspective. Over the past 16 years, top creators have evaluated original games from a professional standpoint, and its role will draw to a close with this 17th ceremony.
The 11 judges for this year's Game Designers Award 2026 have also been finalized. Led by jury chairman Masahiro Sakurai of Sora, the panel includes Professor Kazutoshi Iida of Ritsumeikan University College of Image Arts and Sciences, Storytelling CEO Jiro Ishii, gen-DESIGN CEO Fumito Ueda, Clovers Studio Head Hideki Kamiya, and Too Kyo Games CEO Kazutaka Kodaka. Additionally, Grasshopper Manufacture CEO Goichi Suda, indie game creator Toby Fox, Bokeh Game Studio CEO Keiichiro Toyama, UNBOUND CEO Shinji Mikami, and Bukkuro CEO Taro Yoko have joined the lineup.
The judging panel consists of industry masters who have left a distinct mark on gaming history. Beginning with Jury Chairman Masahiro Sakurai, who developed the Kirby series and Super Smash Bros. series, the evaluation will be carefully conducted by Kazutoshi Iida, director of Aquanaut's Holiday and Anagura no Uta: Kieta Hakase to Nokosareta Souchi, and Jiro Ishii, who presented 3-Nen B-Gumi Kinpachi Sensei: Densetsu no Kyoudan ni Tatsu!, 428: Shibuya Scramble, Time Travelers, and Bungo and Alchemist. Joining them are Fumito Ueda of ICO, Shadow of the Colossus, and The Last Guardian; Hideki Kamiya, creator of Devil May Cry, Viewtiful Joe, Okami, the Bayonetta series, The Wonderful 101, and Sol Cresta; and Kazutaka Kodaka of The Hundred Line -Last Defense Academy- and the Danganronpa series. Goichi Suda of The Silver Case series, killer7, the No More Heroes series, and Romeo Is a Dead Man; Toby Fox of UNDERTALE and DELTARUNE; Keiichiro Toyama of Silent Hill, the Siren series, the GRAVITY DAZE series, and Slitterhead; Shinji Mikami of Aladdin, God Hand, Resident Evil, and The Evil Within; and Taro Yoko of the Drakengard series, the NieR series, and SINoALICE will also join forces to select the finest titles.
The Japan Game Awards 2026 Games of the Year Division presentation ceremony will be held at Hulic Hall Tokyo starting at 6:00 PM on Tuesday, September 15, two days before the opening of Tokyo Game Show 2026 (TGS2026). Sponsored by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the event will feature Toshiya Miyata of Kis-My-Ft2, an official TGS2026 supporter, and pianist HARAMI-chan taking the stage as special guests. Toshiya Miyata will participate as the Grand Prize presenter and share his thoughts, while HARAMI-chan will perform live during the Grand Prize announcement moment to heighten the atmosphere on site. Jury Chairman Masahiro Sakurai will also appear as a presenter to announce the Game Designers Award and introduce the winning title's appeal.
The presentation ceremony for the Future Division, which targets upcoming unreleased titles, will take place at 1:00 PM on Sunday, September 20 during TGS2026 at the Makuhari Messe Hall 1 Event Stage. General voting for the Future Division will be open online from 10:00 AM on Thursday, September 17 to 4:00 PM on Saturday, September 19. Eligible entries include unreleased games, video submissions, and hardware announced or displayed at TGS2026 from September 17 to September 21, excluding titles announced after 4:00 PM on September 19. CESA plans to award game software of the Future Division winners and original merchandise to a total of 200 randomly selected voters. All award ceremonies will be streamed live for free via the official website and YouTube Live.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated with the help of AI. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom. [Read Original]- NEWS
YoungSeok "Lavii" Yang
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