As the opening of South Korea’s largest game exhibition, “G-STAR 2025,” is just one day away, the venue is bustling with final preparations. With gamers gathering from all over the country, the domestic gaming industry is set to showcase a plethora of new releases targeting this audience.
On the afternoon of the 12th, BEXCO in Haeundae, Busan, was busy getting ready to welcome guests for G-STAR 2025. Despite the cloudy weather casting a gloomy atmosphere, the vibrant promotional posters of various gaming companies hanging on the exterior walls of BEXCO captured attention with their colorful displays.
In front of Exhibition Hall 1, where the B2C (Business-to-Consumer) pavilion is located, outdoor booths for companies like Netmarble and NCSoft are preparing to welcome guests. Netmarble’s outdoor exhibit, “SOL ENCHANT,” is in its final stages of equipment checks and structure installations, adorned in black and gold, evoking the grandeur of a fantasy world castle gate.
The domestic gaming industry plans to use G-STAR 2025 to showcase a large lineup of new games aimed at both national gamers and the global market. This year, NCSoft is participating as the main sponsor for the first time, setting up a large booth accommodating 300 booths and revealing the MMORPG “Aion 2,” which is set for release on the 19th. Additionally, they will present the open-world shooting game “Cinder City” by their subsidiary BigFire Games, along with published works “Time Takers” by Mistil Games and “Limit Zero Breakers” by Big Game Studio. NCSoft also plans to unveil a new, undisclosed game.
Netmarble, which has been a consistent participant at G-STAR, has arranged 112 booths and 145 demo stations to showcase four new titles, including “Project Evilbane,” “Solo Leveling: KARM,” “The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin,” and “Mon-gil: Star Dive.” “Project Evilbane” and “Solo Leveling: KARM” will be publicly revealed for the first time at G-STAR. Netmarble will also operate an outdoor booth for its unreleased title, “SOL: Enchant.”
Crafton is set to unveil their upcoming mobile game “Palworld Mobile,” based on the IP of the global hit “Palworld” developed by Japan’s Pocket Pair, for the first time at this G-STAR. Webzen is presenting the subculture title “Gate of Gates,” developed by the domestic game developer Retrale, and will give a first glimpse of the cinematic trailer for “Project G,” a self-developed game based on the “MU” IP.
Gravity will have a booth this year, providing play space for a total of 18 titles, including the “Ragnarok Online Project 1.5” (tentatively titled), “Ragnarok 3,” and “Ragnarok Abyss.” Deve Sisters will participate in the Google Play booth exhibition, showcasing “Cookie Run: Oven Smash.” Neowiz, a proactive investor in the indie game ecosystem, will unveil the sequel to Wonder Potion’s “Sanabi,” titled “Sanabi Side Story: The Haunting Day.”
While South Korean game companies are concentrated in Hall 1, the second exhibition hall will host global gaming companies. Global game developers and distributors such as Warhorse Studios, Sega/Atlus, Bandai Namco Entertainment, Unity, and Blizzard Entertainment will set up booths and hold exhibitions and on-site events for fans of their existing titles. Valve, the developer of the portable gaming PC “Steam Deck,” will participate once again in “Indie Showcase 2.0: Galaxy” through the distributor Komodo.
The main conference of G-STAR, G-CON, is themed around “narratives,” exploring storytelling in various popular cultural contents such as games, movies, and comics. Notable figures from the gaming industry, including Yuji Horii, the game designer behind Japan’s major game series “Dragon Quest,” Yoko Taro, director of “Nier: Automata,” and Byun Sung-hyun, director of the film “Good News,” will be in attendance.