'G-STAR 2022' Returns After 3 Years, Opening D-1

'Detroit: Become Human' Developer David Cage CEO
'Monster Hunter' Series Creator Capcom's Ryozo Tsujimoto Lecture Held

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] The international game exhibition 'G-STAR 2022' will open on the 17th at BEXCO in Busan. Marking its 18th edition this year, 'G-STAR 2022' is hosted by the Korea Game Industry Association and jointly organized by the G-STAR Organizing Committee and the Busan IT Industry Promotion Agency. The event will be held for four days from the opening ceremony at 10 a.m. on the 17th until the 20th.

This year, 'G-STAR' will be held with 987 companies from 43 countries exhibiting at 2,947 booths. This is more than double the scale of the limited 'G-STAR 2021'. Although some side events were reduced or canceled for visitor safety, resulting in a scale smaller than the 3,208 booths of 'G-STAR 2019', the number of participating companies has significantly increased due to the continuous growth of BTB online buyer participation, which has been revitalized since COVID-19.

Nexon G-STAR 2022 Booth Overview

BTC Hall Expanded to 3rd Floor of Exhibition Hall 2 Including Exhibition Hall 1

'G-STAR 2022' will expand the BTC Hall, which was previously held only in BEXCO Exhibition Hall 1, for the first time up to the 3rd floor of Exhibition Hall 2. Exhibition Hall 1 will feature participants such as Wemade, Nexon Korea, Netmarble, Kakao Games, Krafton, Inven, Irugo World, Redbrick, Samsung Electronics, and Epic Games. On the 3rd floor of Exhibition Hall 2, Flint, Neowiz, HoYoverse, LEVEL INFINITE, and ZLONG GAME LIMITED have set up exhibition booths.

On the 3rd floor of Exhibition Hall 2, the 'G-STAR X BIC Showcase 2022' booth will be operated together with the Busan Indie Connect Festival (BIC), featuring a special exhibition of about 40 outstanding domestic and international indie games. The BTB Hall will be held on the 1st floor of BEXCO Exhibition Hall 2, with a scale of 847 booths, more than double last year's 313 booths.

Domestic companies such as Wemade, TikTok Korea, Nexon Korea, Kakao Games, and Wemade Play, along with many small and medium-sized enterprises participating through joint pavilions of related organizations including the Busan IT Industry Promotion Agency, Gyeonggi Content Agency, and Daejeon Information & Culture Industry Promotion Agency, are participating. Overseas companies include the Korea-ASEAN Center, Embassy of Canada in Korea, Xsolla, Swedish Trade and Invest Council, and Shin-A Service, which have set up exhibition booths.

In addition, a total of 814 companies from 43 countries will participate in live business matching both offline and online, and the number of participating companies is expected to increase further depending on on-site registration levels.

G-Star Speaker Lineup

G-STAR Conference Features Best-Ever Speaker Lineup

The G-STAR Conference, a key side event of G-STAR, will be held on the 17th and 18th at the 1st floor of BEXCO Convention Hall. The opening speech on the first day will be delivered by David Cage, CEO of the developer of 'Detroit: Become Human'. The keynote speech will be given by Steve Papoutsis, Chief Development Officer of Striking Distance Studios, the developer of 'The Callisto Protocol'.

On the second day, the opening speech will be delivered by Jang Hyun-guk, CEO of Wemade, who is very active in the game and blockchain ecosystem. The keynote speech will be given by Tsuji Moto Ryozo of Capcom, the father of the iconic Japanese 'Monster Hunter' series. This year's conference will also feature famous directors from Japan and the West, including Hideki Kamiya, Keiichiro Toyama, Hiroshi Matsuyama, Fumihiko Yasuda, Justin Truman, Taimon Smektala, and Sean Stein.

Visitor Safety is Top Priority

'G-STAR 2022' manages visitor density from the start by separating the entry times for online pre-booked visitors and on-site ticket purchasers. Roads between the ticket exchange booths and BEXCO will be controlled during the event period to ensure smooth movement. Additionally, waiting areas are secured for each exhibition hall, and entry will be adjusted according to density inside the halls, with on-site ticket sales conducted accordingly in an organized manner.

Safety and on-site staff will be deployed at expected bottleneck points and vulnerable areas (escalators, stairs, etc.), and safety standards will be observed with cooperation from related agencies such as police and fire departments. Side events that were suspended due to COVID-19 will resume. Outdoor exhibition booths and food truck zones will operate again, and the outdoor side event 'G-STAR Warm-up Stage' (including arcade game zone, photo event zone, photo wall, etc.) will be held to disperse crowds inside and outside the exhibition halls.

The Game Job Concert, where general visitors and students interested in game-related jobs can obtain information about game companies and employment in a comfortable atmosphere, will be held on the 19th at the 2nd floor convention hall of BEXCO. Kang Shin-cheol, chairman of the G-STAR Organizing Committee, said, “This year’s ‘G-STAR’ prioritizes safety above all else, and we have been continuously inspecting with related agencies to ensure there are no gaps in the safety plan. During the actual event, we will do our best to provide a safe environment where visitors can experience and enjoy new games and content.”

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