e-Stadium Co., Ltd., together with Nankai Electric Railway Co., Ltd., is working to establish "Izumisano as an eSports Advanced City" under contract with Izumisano City's "eSports MICE Content Demonstration Project."
As part of this initiative, the companies will hold the 4th eSports Game Creator Academy 2026 Spring (hosted by Izumisano City), a career experience event for elementary and junior high school students across Japan, on March 21 (Saturday) and 22 (Sunday), 2026, at Izumisano Ochi Arena!
This event is a career experience program that cultivates a sense of "career awareness" in the eSports industry through interactions with professional eSports players, game creators, and influencers whom children admire. With a cumulative total of 2,240 participants to date, the event has been well-received as an opportunity for children to learn while having fun through their passions, and it has been held continuously. In December 2025, the first winter season was held, and the 4th edition has now been confirmed.
As interest in digital careers such as professional eSports players and game creators grows, this event creates "original experiences" related to eSports careers, helping children shift their perspective from "players" to "creators" and providing opportunities to envision their future careers.
Additionally, with a parent-child participation program format, parents can also experience the industry's expertise and potential, creating opportunities to share new career perspectives within families.
Furthermore, the "Izumisano Mayor's Cup" will be held simultaneously. This tournament is for elementary and junior high school students residing in Izumisano City and is positioned as a "place of self-realization" where children can present the efforts they have accumulated daily on an official stage and be recognized by those around them. By "visualizing" the results of what children have worked passionately on, parents can witness their growth and confidently support them. Through experiences of competing while respecting each other, it becomes an opportunity to nurture a challenging spirit and rich humanity.
Registration for the eSports Game Creator Academy 2026 Spring will begin on February 20 (Friday). Please apply enthusiastically. Event details are as follows:
eSports Game Creator Academy 2026 Spring Overview
(1) Event Dates: March 21 (Saturday) and 22 (Sunday), 2026, 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM
(2) Venue: Izumisano Ochi Arena (Rinku Circle 2F, 3 Rinku Orai, Izumisano City, Osaka Prefecture)
(3) Event Content
① eSports Experience Booth - Learn about and touch eSports!
② Game Creator Experience Booth - Experience "creating" games!
③ Influencer Fan Meeting - Interact with admired figures you can only meet on screen!
④ "ENTER FORCE.36" Booth - Interact with Osaka's professional eSports team!
(Cooking Challenge, Drone Flight Experience, Grand Prize Drawing with luxurious prizes)
※Content is subject to change. Please note this in advance.
(4) Eligible Participants: Elementary and junior high school students (must be accompanied by someone 18 years or older)
(5) Participation Fee: Free (advance registration required)
(6) Application Method: Registration will begin on February 20 (Friday).
※Application deadline: March 15 (Sunday) 11:59 PM.
Please check the application method on the website and apply.
URL: https://e-stadium.jp/2026/02/20/gca2026spring/
(7) Organizers: Hosted by Izumisano City / Planned and managed by Nankai Electric Railway Co., Ltd., e-Stadium Co., Ltd., Meta Heroes Co., Ltd., Meta Osaka Co., Ltd., ENTER FORCE.36, étoile
Background of the Event
In recent years, interest in digital careers such as professional eSports players, streamers, and game creators has been growing among children's "future career aspirations."
However, opportunities to experience and learn about the realities of such careers remain limited. Against this background, Nankai Electric Railway and e-Stadium, contractors of Izumisano City's "eSports MICE Content Demonstration Project," together with Izumisano City, held the first "eSports Game Creator Academy" in March 2024. The event was highly praised as a new form of career education where children learn about society and work through their interests, and it has been held continuously since then. The first and second events welcomed approximately 1,000 visitors over two days. With each successive event, program content has been enhanced based on participant feedback and results.
While nurturing children's dreams and interests, the event also creates opportunities for parents to deepen their understanding of digital fields, connecting to the sharing of career and educational perspectives within families. Moving forward, the aim is to create a "cycle of learning and experience" that cultivates future digital talent from the community.
Detailed Event Program
① eSports Experience Booth - Learn about and touch eSports!
This booth uses popular titles from around the world, aiming to deepen understanding of "eSports" through hands-on experience. Staff will carefully support children who are touching a computer for the first time. Participants can experience "SHOGUN'S Castle -Osaka Castle- [High quality]," an in-game world that faithfully recreates Osaka Castle in digital space using cutting-edge 3DCG technology. They can enjoy views from atop the castle keep's roof and the exhilarating feeling of racing through at speeds and perspectives impossible in real life—adventures impossible at the actual Osaka Castle. Additionally, the game mode used in this booth is not a shooting battle game but one where players explore Osaka Castle while collecting coins, so there are no age restrictions and even small children can participate safely.
By experiencing a historic Osaka building in digital space, the event provides opportunities to cultivate interest in game creation and eSports careers.
② Game Creator Experience - Experience "creating" games!
At the previous event held in winter 2025, participants experienced character design using the 3DCG creation software "Blender." The experience of "characters designed by themselves actually moving in the game world" was very well-received, and the unique characters created by children at that time are now actively living in Hero Egg's original world.
This popular program will continue at this 4th event. Characters designed by children participating this time will also be implemented in Hero Egg's original world, just like before. Your own design will color the game world and become part of its history. The event will support the creation of one-of-a-kind characters so participants can feel the joy of being creators firsthand.
(Instructor: Meta Heroes / Software used: Blender)
③ Influencer Fan Meeting - Interact with admired figures you can only meet on screen!
Fan meetings will be held with influencers and streamers who are active mainly in games popular with children. Through quiz corners, rock-paper-scissors tournaments, Q&A sessions, and other direct interactions with admired figures, the event will provide unforgettable emotional experiences for children.
※Special guests participating in the fan meeting and latest information will be announced later on the e-Stadium official website and social media.
④ "ENTER FORCE.36" Booth - Interact with Osaka's professional eSports team!
"Super Smash Bros. ULTIMATE" division Hurt player confirmed to attend! Other popular players also scheduled to appear.
Osaka-based professional eSports team ENTER FORCE.36, active worldwide, is coming to the venue! The event features hands-on programs combining "watching, playing, and learning," including corners where you can enjoy popular games with professional eSports players, drone pilot experiences, and a grand prize drawing with luxurious prizes. By experiencing these programs together as parent and child, the event provides opportunities to deepen understanding of the digital industry.
Many exciting content awaits all participants!
ENTER FORCE.36 Booth Content Details
● Cooking Challenge Corner
● Drone Pilot Flight Experience "Drone Adventure"
● Grand Prize Drawing with luxurious prizes!
[Held Simultaneously] Izumisano Mayor's Cup
First held in spring 2025 and now in its 3rd edition, the "Izumisano Mayor's Cup" is a regional eSports tournament that embodies the concepts of "eSports MICE Content Demonstration Project" and "Education × Regional Collaboration" promoted by Izumisano City.
In two-person teams, participants compete in total scores from [Rifle Shooting] and [Clay Shooting], both official events in the "Olympic Esports Series 2023."
The tournament creates cross-school exchanges through eSports and provides an irreplaceable stage that will remain in children's memories.
(1) Event Dates
● Preliminaries: March 21 (Saturday), 2026, 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM
● Finals: March 22 (Sunday), 2026, 1:10 PM to 2:00 PM
(2) Venue: (Preliminaries) e-Stadium Izumisano (Finals) Izumisano Ochi Arena
(3) Eligible Participants: Elementary and junior high school students residing in Izumisano City
Students attending elementary or junior high schools in Izumisano
(4) Application Method: Advance recruitment and registration system (flyers regarding applications will be distributed at eligible schools)
Please check the application method on the website and apply.
URL: https://e-stadium.jp/2026/02/20/gca2026spring/
(5) Competition Events: Each team of 2 people will each handle [Rifle Shooting] and [Clay Shooting], competing for total scores.
The 2nd "eSports Game Creator Academy 2025 Spring" (held March 29-30, 2025) can be viewed here.
Reference Materials
Event report available here
