This year’s Tokyo Game Show was another huge one, and it almost seems like a million years ago when it was struggling to fill three-quarters of the main building of Makuhari Messe. Things are definitely vibrant and alive again at the Tokyo Game Show, and that’s likely a reflection of the improved health of the Japanese games industry. But there’s another trend that continued this year, and it’s a bit of an unfortunate one given the site you’re reading this on. Mobile games are no longer the flashy new kid on the block, and the presence of mobile gaming at the show is starting to take on the look of a mature platform.

The biggest impact of this can be felt in the Indie Corner. Now, I feel like the nature of survival and the development cycle for indies makes them a good barometer of what’s hot at the moment. They’ll be the first ones to be able to run to trends that are catching on, and it’s hard to resist taking a shot at being at the front of a new wave. When I first started covering the Tokyo Game Show for TouchArcade a half-decade ago, the Indie Corner was almost entirely dedicated to mobile games. There were a few PC games and the odd console game, but easily 90% of indies who attended the show were making mobile games of some sort.
This year" I think that number is closer to 5%. PC games continue to hold on to a good chunk after a surge a few years ago, but I would say the majority of the Indie Corner this year was...