Nintendo sponsoring this year's Nico Nico Conference

Nintendo will co-sponsor the second Nico Nico Cho Kaigi conference this April, an upcoming event headed by online video sharing website Nico Nico Douga, Japan Times reports.

Speaking at the Nicofarre hall in the Roppongi district of Japan, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata announced the news, stating the publisher has broadcasted events and original programs via Nico Nico's live-streaming service and hoped to share its appreciation.

Nico Nico Cho Kaigo — which translates to Nico Nico Super Conference — will be held in Makuhari Messe in Chiba Prefecture on April 27 to April 28. The event features a number of exhibitions including dance contests made up of users who previously uploaded dance videos to the website. Artwork by artists who previously showed the development process behind their work using the website will also be on display. In addition the conference will include a live event called Nico Nico Cho Party. Last year the same event featured 249 artists known to be popular among the Nico Nico community.

While last year's event saw 92,000 visitors, the company saw a 470 million yen loss. This year, alongside Nintendo, the event will be co-sponsored by Lawson, Karaoke no Tesujin and SilverStar Japan; However, Dwango director Takeshi Natsuno states it is likely this event will still see a loss.