Incheon Cheongna to Develop eSports Specialized Complex... Incheon Economic Agency and US DigiPen Institute of Technology Sign MOU

1.6 Trillion Invested to Establish Game Talent Training, R&D, and Studios

An e-sports and gaming industry Silicon Valley will be established in Cheongna International City, Incheon.

The Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority announced on the 17th that it has signed a five-party Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to create 'G-Tech City,' featuring domestic and international game companies' innovation districts and game entertainment zones in Cheongna.

According to the MOU, the city, the economic authority, Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH), DigiPen Institute of Technology from the United States, and Daewon Plus Development Co., Ltd. plan to invest a total of more than 1.62 trillion KRW to develop a specialized complex on 260,000㎡ across six blocks of land designated for investment in Cheongna.

This area will include educational facilities for nurturing global gaming talent, game research and development facilities, innovation districts and studios for domestic and international game companies, knowledge industry centers, tourism and MICE facilities, and game entertainment zones.

The goal of G-Tech City is to attract global gaming companies together with DigiPen Institute of Technology, a specialized e-sports institution, and develop Cheongna into an "Asian-leading game industry hub city."

Founded in 1998, DigiPen Institute of Technology is known as the "Harvard of the gaming world" and operates campuses in Singapore, Spain, and other locations as a global university. It was the first in the world to establish a major in game design and has been recognized by Forbes as the world's top game design school.

DigiPen Redmond, located in Redmond, Seattle, USA, is regarded not just as a university campus but as a key player in the development of the local e-sports industrial complex, and it is expected to play a central role in the creation of G-Tech City.

Aerial View of Cheongna 'G-Tech City' [Provided by Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority]

Through this MOU, the Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority plans to actively begin developing a competitive complex that can stand shoulder to shoulder with world-class e-sports clusters centered around urban innovation districts such as Cornell Tech campus on Roosevelt Island in New York, Kendall Square, a MIT industry-academia cooperation model, and the University District in Seattle.

Kim Jin-yong, head of the Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority, said, "The growth of the domestic and international gaming markets, especially in mobile, is steadily increasing, and the prospects are limitless. The establishment of an international game industry cluster in Cheongna will serve as a catalyst for the development of Cheongna."

Jason Chu, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of DigiPen Institute of Technology, stated, "Korea's strong content market and DigiPen Institute of Technology's practical curriculum and experience in producing talent are expected to create significant synergy in the promotion of Cheongna G-Tech City."

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