G-Star Returns Without 3N, But Still Has 2K

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Nahum] G-Star, the largest game show in Korea, will be held offline for the first time in two years. Amid concerns that the event will be half-hearted due to the absence of the ‘3N’?NCSoft, Nexon, and Netmarble?attention is focused on whether the emerging powerhouses in the gaming industry, Kakao Games and Krafton, can lead the success.

◆ 2K fills the void left by 3N = According to the G-Star Organizing Committee on the 8th, the ‘2021 G-Star’ to be held from the 17th to the 21st will consist of a total of 1,221 booths, including 908 booths in the BTC hall and 313 booths in the BTB hall. The number of booths and participating companies has decreased by about 50% compared to previous years, which is attributed to the resurgence of COVID-19 during the application period. Furthermore, this year’s G-Star will see the absence of the 3N, who represent the domestic gaming industry. Since G-Star began in 2005, this is the first time all three 3N companies are not participating. All these game companies decided not to participate to focus more on developing new titles.

Instead, the ‘2K (Kakao Games and Krafton),’ rising as new powerhouses in the industry, will fill the space left by the 3N. Although there are predictions that the event will be less exciting due to fewer participants, these companies are busy preparing to lead G-Star’s success.

Kakao Games, the main sponsor of G-Star, secured an exhibition space of 100 booths in the BTC hall. They have assembled a lineup of seven games, including three new titles such as ‘Uma Musume Pretty Derby’ and four popular games like ‘Odin: Valhalla Rising’ and ‘Eternal Return.’ They plan to operate booths tailored to each game’s concept, including the sports casual game ‘Friends Shot: Anyone’s Golf,’ the retro-style dot graphic mobile RPG ‘Guardian Tales,’ which is popular both domestically and internationally, and the PC online survival battle arena ‘Eternal Return.’

Krafton will also set up booths in the BTC hall this year to communicate with users. Although the game lineup has not yet been announced, it is expected to reveal unreleased new titles, including the new mobile game ‘PUBG: New State,’ which will be globally released on the 11th.

Wemade, which is rapidly gaining attention with blockchain games, will set up a booth in the BTB hall. At this location, Wemade will conduct business and investment consultations with domestic and international partners to establish the WEMIX onboard partnership, and CEO Jang Hyun-guk will personally hold a media briefing. In particular, Wemade plans to focus on expanding the WEMIX ecosystem by aiming to release 100 blockchain games using WEMIX as the base currency by the end of next year.

◆ Will it show a generational shift in the gaming industry? = There is also a view that the absence of the 3N at G-Star marks the beginning of a generational shift in the gaming industry. G-Star is a place to showcase the future and growth potential of game companies, and their non-participation citing new title development can be interpreted as a lack of confidence in showing a promising future. An industry insider said, “Looking at recent sales and game success, cracks are appearing in the 3N’s dominance,” adding, “This G-Star will be an opportunity to reaffirm the elevated status of the 2K.”

Meanwhile, the organizing committee has prepared various side events to ensure the success of G-Star. First, Gravity, a major booth participant in the BTC hall during the event, will hold a special exhibition at the Busan Museum of Art. Originally, events were planned throughout Busan, but due to the spread of COVID-19 and quarantine guidelines, this was canceled, and the decision was made to use the Busan Museum of Art, which is deemed safe for operation. The organizing committee is currently selecting the exhibition period and theme in collaboration with Gravity.

From the day after the opening, the core side event, the ‘Conference,’ will be held across three tracks with 38 sessions. The keynote speech on the first day will be delivered by Kim Hyung-tae, CEO of Shift Up, who is developing projects ‘Eve’ and ‘Nikke.’ On the second day, Jeon Jin-soo, CO head of SKT MNO Business Division overseeing the metaverse, will give the keynote. The speech topics are ‘From Illustrator to Director’ and ‘Changes in Daily Life and Industry Brought by the Metaverse,’ respectively. Additionally, developers and representatives from Pearl Abyss, SundayToz, Neowiz, Wemade Tree, and others will speak about game development processes and metaverse prospects.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.