G-Star Returns to the Real World, Kicks Off Five-Day Schedule

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Nahum] After two years, G-STAR, the largest game exhibition in Korea, returns offline and will open its grand finale on the 17th at BEXCO in Busan. Visitors can directly experience more than 10 unreleased new titles on-site, as well as attend conferences themed around blockchain and the metaverse (extended virtual world), which have recently become hot topics in the gaming industry.

‘G-STAR 2021’ will hold its opening ceremony this afternoon at BEXCO Exhibition Hall 1 and begin its five-day schedule. This year’s slogan, "Here comes the game again," signifies the resumption of offline exhibitions that were halted due to COVID-19 and reconnecting with fans.

This year’s event is held with 674 companies from 40 countries (including online participants) and 1,393 booths. Domestic participants include Kakao Games, Krafton, Gravity, Shift Up, Inven, Angel Games, Redbrick, and Haru Entertainment. Overseas companies such as Tencent Aurora Studio and Kuka Games have also set up exhibition booths. Notably, mid-sized game companies like Krafton, which has emerged as a new powerhouse, are taking center stage at G-STAR, signaling a generational shift in the domestic gaming market.

The side event, G-STAR Conference, will take place on the 18th and 19th. It is held in collaboration with IGC, one of Korea’s top game conferences, featuring sessions on various topics such as the metaverse, indie games, consoles, PC online, mobile, and cloud gaming. On the first day, Kim Hyung-tae, CEO of Shift Up, the developer of projects ‘EVE’ and ‘NIKKE,’ will deliver the keynote speech. On the second day, Jeon Jin-soo, head of SK Telecom’s metaverse division, will give a lecture.

This year’s key point of interest at G-STAR is whether the event will be successful. Due to the impact of COVID-19, the number of booths and participating companies has decreased by about 50% compared to previous years, and even the three major domestic game companies known as the 3N (NCSoft, Nexon, Netmarble) are absent. As a result, main sponsors such as Kakao Games and Krafton are effectively expected to lead the event’s success. However, a representative from one company said, "Although the scale of the event has shrunk, the attractions and entertainment are not inferior to previous years," adding, "The unreleased new titles from participating companies are also something to look forward to."

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