Anime Expo 2017 gaming-related panels schedule

Announcements from Aksys, NIS America, and more incoming.

Anime Expo 2017 is being held at the Los Angeles Convention Center this weekend, and a there are a slew of gaming-related panels happening that will likely come with new information on existing games confirmed for western release and new localization announcements.

The folks at Anime Expo told Gematsu that everything labeled “Live Programming 1” will be live streamed. As for everything else, whether or not it is live streamed would be up to the company hosting the event.

Here is the full schedule (all times are Pacific Standard Time):

Saturday, July 1
10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. – Bandai Namco Entertainment Presents “Press Start” – Bandai Namco Entertainment presents a special panel with Yasuhiro Fukaya, producer of Tales of Berseria, and Yusuke Tomizawa, producer of the God Eater series and the head of Code Vein team. Both have the unique position of working on video games that have spawned their own anime series, such as Tales of Zestiria the X and God Eater. Come and hear about the development process for the Tales of series, insights on the God Eater series, and new information on Code Vein! (Live Programming 2.)
11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. – Final Fantasy 30th Anniversary – Calling all Final Fantasy fans of all ages! Come celebrate 30 years of the beloved franchise with Square Enix in a Final Fantasy-themed Lounge 21, featuring guest appearances from Hironobu Sakaguchi and the Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac AgeFinal Fantasy 30th Anniversary Celebration, Lounge 21 will open up to all attendees of all ages with a valid AX badge! (Lounge 21.)
12:30 to 1:30 p.m. – Bandai Namco Entertainment Presents “Play Anime!” – (Live Programming 5.)
2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. – The Aksys Games Panel – After two years of pre-planned panels, earnest rehearsals and “professionalism,” the driver-less Aksys Hype Train is back in all its chaotic glory! Expect pointless stress and exhaustion-fueled ramblings, soul-crushing puns, and announcements. Lots and lots of announcements. Please don’t feed the panelists. (Live Programming 3.)
3:00 to 5:00 p.m. – Fate/Grand Order Launch Celebration – Are you ready to save humanity and take part in the greatest Holy Grail War? Join Aniplex of America as we celebrate the release of the highly anticipated mobile game Fate/Grand Order! (Live Programming 1.)
7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. – Be our Confidant! An Evening of Fun with the Persona 5 Localization Team and Voice Actors – Can’t get enough of Persona 5? Join us for an evening of fun with the Persona 5 panel at Anime Expo for some behind-the-scenes details about the game, skits with the voice actors, goodies for panel attendees, and more! (Live Programming 1.)
8:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. – Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony Localization Panel – NIS America introduces the localization team for Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony, where they will discuss their work, challenges, stories, and overall expertise on localizing a massive project. (Live Programming 3.)
8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. – Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA – Fan to President – (Live Programming 1.)
9:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. – MangaGamer: The Now & Future of Visual Novels (18+) – With pictures and prose, visual novels have become one of the fastest growing storytelling mediums within anime and manga. Please join us, MangaGamer, as we explore this growing literary format with our guests Itaru Hinoue (Rewrite) and Yamakaze Ran (Princess Evangile), and see just what the future will bring at MangaGamer.com. (Live Programming 3.)
Sunday, July 2

10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. – Big Surprise from Tales of Series for Mobile – A discussion panel by a YouTube star (TBA) on mobile Tales of series, a popular free-to-play RPG franchise from Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc. will be held. There is also a big surprise announcement and giveaways for the audience are planned. (Live Programming 5.)
10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. – Industry Spotlight: Sakaguchi & Fujisaka – From the creation of Final Fantasy to the hit mobile RPG Terra Battle, Hironobu Sakaguchi has had a long, amazing history in the gaming industry. Join Sakaguchi-san himself on a career retrospective, from insider stories from making Final Fantasy to founding his new studio, Mistwalker. In addition, his friend and colleague Kimihiko Fujisaka will explain what it takes to become a successful artist in the gaming industry. (Live Programming 2.)
11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. – Final Fantasy 30th Anniversary – Same as the event on July 1.
12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. – Visual Novels with Sekai Project & Alice in Dissonance – Come meet the team behind Sekai Project, an LA based licensing and publishing company, plus Anime Expo’s Guest Of Honor: Alice in Dissonance, known for their epic hit series Fault. (Live Programming 5.)
1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. – Iffy-cial Neptunia Panel Featuring Tsunako and Mizuno – Join the illustrator/creator designer behind the Neptunia franchise Tsunako (Naoko Hirasaka) and the series producer, Naoko Mizuno. Learn the process behind making Nep-Nep tick! (Live Programming 3.)
7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. – MangaGamer: Itaru Hinoue Q&A – As a character designer and illustrator, Itaru Hinoue is an iconic figure within otaku culture. With popular titles such as Clannad, Little Busters!, and Rewrite among her accomplishments, she easily stands out amidst her contemporaries in the industry. (Live Programming 3.)
8:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. – Nutaku’s Expansion Into Games! featuring Armor Blitz – (Live Programming 4.)
9:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. – Denpasoft: Erecting a Market & the Rise of Adult Gaming (18+) – Join us as we go through the rise and legitimization of adult gaming in the West, and our personal growth throughout our 4 years in operation thus far. Take a look at the games we brought to fans around the world, the services we provide, and the plans we have for the future! With plenty of announcements and a surprise guest appearance! (Live Programming 5.)
9:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. – Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony Voice Actors Panel – Meet some of the VAs in the Danganronpa series! (Live Programming 1.)
9:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. – JAST USA Visual Novel Panel (18+) – JAST USA is one of the premier companies bringing over licensed visual novels H-games to English-speaking fans. At this year’s panel we’ll give an update on our releases, plus will announce several awesome new games. There’ll be lots of fun products as giveaways from J-List, too! (Live Programming 3.)
10:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. – Bringing the world Gal*Gun to Virtual Reality (18+) – After the astonishing world-wide success of Gal*Gun Double Peace: Inti Creates and North American Publisher, PQube, give you unique insight into brinign the next generation of Gal*Gun to VR, including the first worldwide demo of the game in action! (Workshop 1.)
Monday, July 3
2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. – Iffy-cial Localization with Idea Factory International – How does a Nepu turn into a Nep? Learn all about translating, editing, and localizing Japanese video games for the West with staff from Idea Factory International – the publisher behind the Neptunia series! (Workshop 1.)
4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. – Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA Gameplay Panel – Nihon Falcom‘s President, Toshihiro Kondo, discusses the humble beginnings of the Ys franchise and how maintaining and evolving the Ys gameplay mechanics has made the franchise successful. (Live Programming 3.)
6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. – Yui Horie Panel featuring Showmaker – (Live Programming 5.)
Tuesday, July 4
12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. – MangaGamer: Yamakaze Ran Q&A – Yamakaze Ran is the lead concept artist, graphic designer, and illustrator at Moonstone. He is most well known for his modern take on the Japanese “moe” character art style, making him stand out among the plethora of notable artists and illustrators within the industry today. (Live Programming 5.)
1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. – NIS America & Community Panel – Over Twenty-five, dood. This is the amount of titles we will finish publishing by the end of 2017. In this panel, NISA’s marketing team discusses the evolution of NISA and the variety games NISA has published in the past. With key titles like Birthdays the Beginning, Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony, and Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA, what other surprises does NIS America have in store? (Live Programming 4.)
1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. – Publishing Japanese Games for Worldwide Release on Switch – (Live Programming 1.) (Editor’s Note: There is no description for this event, but the wording leads us to believe it will be hosted by Dispatch Games. We e-mailed them asking, but have not heard back.)