Japan Future Award 2022 Winners Include FFXVI and Wo Long

CESA announced the winners of Japan Game Awards 2022’s Future Award at Tokyo Game Show 2022. A total of ten games received many votes from the event’s visitors to win the awards. Final Fantasy XVI and Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty are some of the titles that made the list.

The Future Award is an award given to popular upcoming games that appeared at Tokyo Game Show. Japanese publishers would often include this award on their games’ official websites. It also acts as a sign that the Japanese public is looking forward to those titles the most, as public votes determine the award winners.

Visitors to the physical venue at Makuhari Messe could cast their votes for the first three days of the event. For the 2022 Future Award, the voting took place on September 15-17, 2022. This award did not exist in 2020 and 2021, as a public physical venue was not available due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Ten games won the Future Award in the 2022 edition, and you can check the full list right below. As a side note, the organizers gave the awards based on the Japanese alphabet order of the games’ Japanese titles.

1. A Space for the Unbound
   • Chorus Worldwide, which is handling the Indonesian game’s Japanese console releases, received the award on behalf of Mojiken and Toge Productions. The game’s Western release is still under question following accusations of “predatory practices” against the UK-based publisher PQube. During the ceremony, Chorus Worldwide stated that it aims to release the title for PS4, PS5, Switch, and Xbox One in Japan in early 2023.
2. Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty
   • The upcoming title from the developers of Nioh at Koei Tecmo’s Team Ninja will cover the Chinese Three Kingdoms period. A demo is immediately available worldwide on PS5 and Xbox Series X for a limited time until September 26, 2022. The full game will also release for PS4, Xbox One, and PC in addition to the above two in early 2023.
3. Exoprimal
   • Capcom will release the new dinosaur-shooting action game with a robust character and Exosuit customization—but has no relation to Dino Crisis—for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, and PC in 2023.
4. Street Fighter 6
   • The upcoming sequel to the staple fighting game series will have many new features, such as custom avatars and in-game commentary. Capcom will launch the game with 18 playable characters for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, and PC in 2023.
5. Sonic Frontiers
   • The brand-new Sonic game will take place in five open-ended overworld islands with a futuristic combat system. Sega will release the title for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PC, and Nintendo Switch on November 8, 2022. At TGS 2022 it received a new story trailer, as well as a live gameplay demo during the Sega livestream event.
6. Final Fantasy XVI
   • While Square Enix only included its existing videos in the company’s trailer reel at TGS 2022, that simple appearance still made the title eligible for the public to vote for. The newest mainline Final Fantasy entry is currently slated for release on PlayStation 5 in Summer 2023.
7. Forspoken
   • The new game starring Ella Balinska as Frey Holland has received a new trailer with Japanese voiceovers at TGS 2022, where Umeka Shouji will dub the character in the language. Square Enix will release the new title from Luminous Productions for PS5 and PC on January 24, 2023.
8. Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End and the Secret Key
   • The third title in the Atelier Ryza trilogy will bring closure to Reisalin “Ryza” Stout’s story while featuring an expansive party roster with the addition of Bos Brunnen. Koei Tecmo and Gust will release the RPG for PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and PC on February 24, 2023.
9. Like a Dragon: Ishin!
   • Originally released as a Japan-exclusive title in 2014, Sega and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio will remake the Bakumatsu-era action game with several different character designs. The company will release the title for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, and PC on February 21, 2023.
10. Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection
    • The compilation of ten mainline Mega Man Battle Network titles originally released on Game Boy Advance will come with online Versus and Chip Trading features. Capcom will release the Legacy Collection for Nintendo Switch, PS4, and PC in 2023.