Drillimation Will Not Exhibit at Next Erie Anime Fest Due to Changes From Organizer

Drillimation Systems, who has exhibited at the Erie Anime Fest for the past year, has made the disappointing decision to not exhibit at the next Erie Anime Fest scheduled for August 2, 2025. This came a week after Drillimation’s fourth exhibition last weekend.

The real reason is because the organization that hosts the event recently introduced a new type of convention called Pokékon, and as the name suggests, is dedicated to all things Pokémon. This new convention replaces the existing Erie Anime Fest. Even though founder and CEO Susumu Takajima is a huge fan of the games, having played them since his youth, Drillimation really has nothing to exhibit related to Pokémon in any form, despite the fact the Mythos of Phantasmagoria games resemble and play like the Pokémon games. The only difference is players do not capture and train creatures.

In a statement, Takajima explained on Twitter, Bluesky, and Threads:

Today, I learned that the #ErieAnimeFest scheduled for August 2 has been replaced with #Pokékon. Before the replacement, I’ve been going to and exhibiting at Erie Anime Fest every time.
— Drillimation Systems Co., Ltd. / 株式会社ドリリメーションシステム (@Drillimation1) March 14, 2025

“Today, I learned that the Erie Anime Fest scheduled for August 2 has been replaced with Pokékon. Before the replacement, I’ve been going to and exhibiting at Erie Anime Fest every time. However, since there’s nothing related to present at Pokékon, I will remain at the studio that weekend. My role at these conventions is to relay everything happening at the company to all locals.”

All hope for future conventions is not lost for Drillimation. In response, Drillimation has vowed to exhibit at the upcoming Erie Comicon this September instead. Takajima attended the convention six years ago before the pandemic in 2019, and given the fact it attracts a larger number of attendees than Erie Anime Fest and shows off stuff more than just anime, Drillimation could attract an even larger audience. However, there is no guarantee that Drillimation will be granted booth space, according to fine print disclaimers on the Erie Comicon website.

Hopefully, Erie Anime Fest may return this November.