Get ready gamers, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike has just announced that Tokyo will be getting a new “Tokyo Governor’s Cup eSport Games” in 2019. It looks like everyone has one more reason to head to Tokyo.

Japan is recognized around the world as one of the largest developers of video games, with companies like Nintendo, Sony, Capcom, and Konami headquartered there. But, interestingly, Japan had been very slow to adopt the eSports trend. A large part of this hesitation was the fact that Japan has legal restrictions that made it difficult for game-makers to hold competitions offering cash prizes. This was seen as an inappropriate form of sales promotion.

Luckily, things changed last year, when Japanese Consumer Affairs Agency agreed to allow eSports tournaments with large cash prizes on the condition that the contestants be “professional gamers”. Enter the world of professional eSports in Japan. And now, with this new Tokyo Governor’s Cup this year, it seems that Japan is providing full support for everyone to enjoy gaming at the professional level.

It looks like its time for me to dust-off my Atari and Nintendo Classic, as I need to get ready for some tournaments, haha!