For the second year in a row, Microsoft will not have an official presence at Tokyo Game Show. The company confirmed this today in a news briefing in Japan attended by Game Watch (via DualShockers).

Although Microsoft will not be exhibiting anything at the show, the company will again hold a fan event. It’s unclear, however, what games might be playable at the gathering. In 2015, fans could go hands on with titles like Rise of the Tomb Raider and Rainbow Six Siege, among others.

The Tokyo Game Show website does mention Microsoft, but only for the event’s Business Solution area, not the exhibition show floor. This appears to be similar to how Electronic Arts attended E3 this year to meet with business associates but did not have a booth on the show floor.

In 2014, Microsoft had a booth on the TGS show floor where attendees could play nearly two-dozen Xbox One games. That year’s TGS was held just one week after the Xbox One was released in Japan. Microsoft did not have a booth at TGS 2015.

The Xbox One has not sold very well in Japan since its release there in September 2014, but Microsoft hopes to improve sales over time by listening to gamers’ suggestions. Head of Xbox Phil Spencer said in previous interviews that Japan is a "soulful" place for games, and one that is "critical" for Microsoft to support.

Tokyo Game Show 2016 runs September 17-18. Microsoft competitor Sony will have a space on the exhibition floor, but the company has not yet announced exactly what it’s showing. A recent report claimed Sony might release PlayStation Neo and a slimmed-down PS4 during or before the event.

Keep checking back with GameSpot for more on TGS in the days and weeks ahead.

Source: GameSpot