University of Tsukuba to host Esports Research Network conference

The Esports Research Network will hold its annual Esports Research Network Conference (ERNC) at the University of Tsukuba from 15 to 17 September 2026. The three-day event will bring together academic researchers, policymakers and industry executives to examine how regional gaming culture, market development and institutional frameworks interact.

Organised with the Entertainment and Gaming Research Association and GAKU, the conference will use the university’s 30th Anniversary Hall (Daigaku Kaikan) as its main hub. Networking events and corporate catering will take place at the University Hall Restaurant Tsukuba Demi.

Programming spans the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences and includes panels, keynote addresses and industry-academic roundtables. Sessions will focus on Japan’s console and arcade history, the role of publishers, community pathways and talent development, along with topics such as digital labour, governance, player well-being and platform economies. The opening-day panel, titled “How Publishers and Public Authorities Shape Japan’s Esports Scene,” will gather stakeholders to discuss those issues.

Organisers say the agenda emphasises the structural development of the Asian games ecosystem and how Japan’s gaming heritage affects modern competitive pathways. Expected participants include representatives from SEGA, KONAMI, Bandai Namco and the Japan Esports Association.

Prof. Dr. Tobias Scholz, founding chairperson of the Esports Research Network, commented: “Japan has shaped how the world plays and competes, long before anyone called it esports. Bringing the ERN’s conference to Tsukuba is a milestone for our network, but above all it is an opportunity to learn: from Japan’s gaming ecosystem, its arcade heritage, and its grassroots communities.”

Prof. Dr. Tsubasa Shinohara, conference chair and assistant professor at the University of Tsukuba, added: “The event’s multi-disciplinary focus will deep-dive into complex critical areas such as digital labor, governance, player well-being, and evolving platform economies, allowing us to co-author a more thorough global playbook for the future of competitive play.”

Sayo Okamoto, CEO of GAKU and member of the ERNC business organising team, commented: “Bringing the ERNC to Japan for the very first time makes perfect sense. As the birthplace and home of so many global game publishing powerhouses, Japan offers an unparalleled backdrop for this summit. We hope this historic location will encourage a highly productive confluence of academic dialogue between publishers and academia, ultimately elevating the entire industry and empowering all participants with profound, newfound perspectives on where competitive gaming is headed.”

ERNC 2026 is scheduled immediately before two major events in Japan’s interactive-entertainment calendar: the Tokyo Game Show at Makuhari Messe from 17 to 21 September and the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, where esports will be a full-medal discipline at the Aichi Sky Expo from 23 September to 2 October.

Participant registration is open and closes on 1 September 2026 via the event website.