Japan Expo 2026: 25th Anniversary Edition Highlights Video Game Anniversaries and New Releases
The 2026 Japan Expo, held in France, celebrated its 25th anniversary with a dense video game program. France is the second-largest manga consumer globally. The Persona series (Shin Megami Tensei: Persona) marked its 30th anniversary with a 120 m² exhibition showcasing graphical evolution, and Atlus key figure Shigenori Soejima attended. The franchise has over 30 million players worldwide. Cygames revealed Granblue Fantasy: Relink – Endless Ragnarok, released on the expo's first day on Steam, PS5, and Switch 2. The Granblue Fantasy license began in 2014 in Japan; since March 2026, global players can join. Official cosplayers from Japan performed. French studio Ankama, creator of Dofus and Wakfu, celebrated its 25th anniversary with a 4,000 m² convention within the expo featuring quests and challenges. For Sonic's 35th anniversary, preservation group MO5 installed a playable exhibition on vintage consoles. The expo highlighted the importance of physical video game preservation.
Key facts
- Japan Expo 2026 celebrated its 25th anniversary in France.
- Persona series (Atlus) had a 30th anniversary exhibition of 120 m².
- Shigenori Soejima from Atlus attended the expo.
- Persona franchise has over 30 million players worldwide.
- Cygames released Granblue Fantasy: Relink – Endless Ragnarok on Steam, PS5, and Switch 2 on the first day.
- Granblue Fantasy started in 2014 in Japan; global release since March 2026.
- Ankama celebrated its 25th anniversary with a 4,000 m² convention area.
- Sonic's 35th anniversary featured a playable exhibition by MO5 on vintage consoles.
- France is the second largest manga consumer after Japan.
Entities
Artists
- Shigenori Soejima
Institutions
- Japan Expo
- Atlus
- Cygames
- Ankama
- MO5
- Sega
- RFI
Locations
- France
- Japan