NCSoft Eyes a Comeback, Blizzard Returns After 12 Years... 'G-Star 2025' Opens
by Roh Kyungjo
Published 13 Nov.2025 12:30(KST)
Updated 13 Nov.2025 15:13(KST)
From NCSoft's 'Aion 2' to Unreleased Titles, Anticipation Runs High
Global Game Companies Like Blizzard Elevate G-Star's Status
Nexon's 'Mabinogi Mobile' Wins Game of the Year and Six Awards in Total
"I'm a college student living in Daegu, and this is my seventh year attending G-Star. I'm a big fan of NCSoft, so I have high expectations for their new title in the second half of the year, 'Aion 2.' I also plan to visit the booths of Webzen and Krafton."
'G-Star 2025' began its four-day run at Busan BEXCO on the 13th. Even well before the opening time, a long line had formed in front of BEXCO as people waited to enter. Some had even been waiting since the night before.
Although G-Star is smaller in scale compared to last year, there was significant anticipation among users for new titles such as 'Aion 2,' which NCSoft is presenting as part of its comeback, as well as 'Cinder City,' 'Time Takers,' 'Limit Zero Breakers,' and other unreleased games. The MMORPG 'Aion 2' is the only AAA (blockbuster-level) title from a Korean game company at this year's G-Star confirmed for release within the year.
NCSoft, participating as the main sponsor for the first time this year, has set up the largest booth in Exhibition Hall 1 (BTC) with 300 booths, creating an immersive demo environment for its new titles and offering a variety of interactive events. The NCSoft booth, which fills the right side of the exhibition hall, is composed of a central dome theater and two demo zones on either side. Over 200 demo PCs are equipped with NVIDIA's high-performance graphics processing unit (GPU), the GeForce RTX 5080.
An NCSoft representative said, "This year's G-Star is not just about the present of NCSoft, but also a showcase of its future. We hope everyone enjoys it." CEO Kim Taekjin also attended the opening session. 'Aion 2' will be released in Korea and Taiwan on the 19th.
Krafton (Palworld Mobile), Netmarble (The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin, etc.), Gravity (Ragnarok Online Project 1.5, etc.), and Webzen (Gate of Gates) have also set up booths in Exhibition Hall 1. In Exhibition Hall 2 (BTB), Nexxus, Samsung Electronics, Smilegate, and Tencent Korea are meeting with industry professionals from Korea and abroad. With the college entrance exam concluding on this day, a large influx of teenagers is expected.
On the 13th, people lined up in front of BEXCO in Busan to enter 'G-Star 2025'. Photo by Noh Kyungjo
원본보기 아이콘This year, global game companies have filled the space left by the absence of Nexon, Pearl Abyss, and Wemade. Companies such as Blizzard, Bandai Namco Entertainment, Sega/Atlus, Unity, and Plaion/Warhorse Studios are participating, further elevating G-Star's global profile. Among them, Blizzard-famous for 'StarCraft' and 'Diablo'-is returning to G-Star for the first time in 12 years, drawing significant attention. However, they are showcasing existing titles rather than new releases.
The G-Star game conference, G-CON, also features a large number of international speakers. Notably, Yuji Horii, regarded as the founder of Japanese RPGs, will discuss the origins and evolution of storytelling and character creation in the 'Dragon Quest' series.
Meanwhile, at the '2025 Korea Game Awards' held the previous day, Nexon's 'Mabinogi Mobile' was named the best game of the year. It won three awards: the Grand Prize (Presidential Award), the Technical Creation Award in the Technology/Scenario category, and the Sound category. In addition, Neople's 'First Berserker: Kazan' received the Excellence Award (Prime Minister's Award) and others, bringing Nexon's total to six awards.
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