Tokyo, Japan – August 17, 2023 – Mapbox Japan G.K., a leading provider of digital map development platforms, is excited to announce its inaugural participation in CEDEC 2023, Japan's premier conference for sharing game-related technologies and knowledge. The event will be held from August 23 to 25, 2023, at PACIFICO Yokohama North. On August 25, Mapbox Japan will host a session titled "Trends in Location-Based Games and Mapbox's Initiatives in Gaming," featuring a panel discussion with industry experts on the potential of games utilizing location information.

Exhibition highlights:

At CEDEC 2023, Mapbox Japan will present:​

• Mapbox Gaming Solution: A suite of tools designed for game developers to integrate advanced mapping functionalities into their projects.​
• Mapbox Playable Locations: Datasets and demonstrations showcasing how to effectively place in-game items and checkpoints using location data.​

Session details:

• Title: Trends in Location-Based Games and Mapbox's Initiatives in Gaming​
• Date & Time: August 25, 2023 (Friday), 11:20 AM – 12:20 PM​mapbox.jp
• Venue: PACIFICO Yokohama North, Room 12​mapbox.jp
• Content: A panel discussion exploring the market trends, monetization strategies, and future possibilities of location-based games, along with insights into how Mapbox's digital map development platform can be utilized in game development.​

Panelists:

• Yoshinori Yazawa: Technical Account Management and Product Director at Mapbox Japan. Inspired by Niantic's Ingress, Yazawa recognized the importance of digital maps in gaming and joined Mapbox to contribute to game development projects. He currently leads the gaming division, promoting the use of digital maps in game development.​
• Yoshinori Nakata: Senior Architect at Time Intermedia Co., Ltd., specializing in location-based games. Since 2014, Nakata has been analyzing location-based games like Ingress and is interested in the phenomenon of "broken magic circles" that these games create.​
• Kiyoshi Sekiguchi: Editor-in-Chief of "Keitai Watch," a mobile-focused web media by Impress Corporation. Covering a wide range of topics from smartphones and gadgets to network infrastructure and applications, Sekiguchi is particularly interested in the role of smartphones in bridging the real and digital worlds, a concept highlighted by location-based games.​

CEDEC 2023

• Organizer: Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association (CESA)​
• Dates: August 23 (Wednesday) – August 25 (Friday), 2023
• Venue: PACIFICO Yokohama North, Yokohama, Japan​

Through its participation in CEDEC 2023, Mapbox Japan aims to promote the advancement of location-based game development and contribute to the expansion of the gaming industry.

About CEDEC 2023

CEDEC (Computer Entertainment Developers Conference) is Japan's largest conference aimed at sharing technologies and knowledge related to game development. Held annually over three days, the conference features approximately 200 sessions across seven categories, including engineering, production, visual arts, business & management, sound, game design, and academic & foundational technologies.​