🎮 G-STAR 2025 Review: A Clearer Look at the Future of Korea’s Game Industry

✨Despite the smaller scale, G-STAR 2025 delivered a surprisingly clear view of where Korea’s game industry is heading.From the return of PC and console gaming to aggressive IP expansion and stronger UX design—this year’s signals were unmistakably sharp.

🎮 G-STAR 2025 Marks a Strong Return to PC and Console Games

Held at BEXCO in Busan, G-STAR 2025 faced criticism for reduced exhibition space and fewer small booths, yet it still offered a clear snapshot of current industry trends. The most notable shift was the return to core platforms—PC and console—after several years dominated by mobile titles.

Major showcases such as NCSoft’s AION 2, Netmarble’s Solo Leveling: KARMA, and Krafton’s Palworld Mobile all featured fully playable demos, drawing long queues throughout the event. This renewed demand for hands-on gameplay suggests that the market is shifting back toward high-quality, core-focused gaming experiences driven by real-time engagement and tactile feedback.

[이코리아] 현기호 기자 촬영 [데일리안] 조인영 기자

🌐 Accelerated Expansion of K-Game IP Across Platforms

Another standout trend was the accelerated push toward IP expansion. More than half of this year’s featured titles were based on existing successful IPs, extending their universes across webtoons, animation, music, and other platforms.

The strong presence of international visitors at these booths highlighted the growing global influence of K-Content. The trend indicates that Korean game IPs are no longer just local successes—they are becoming globally recognized brands with expanding fanbases.

🕹️ A Shift Toward Playable, UX-Centered Experiences

G-STAR 2025 clearly marked a shift from a “show-and-tell” event to a “play-and-feel” experience. Most large booths replaced cinematic-only displays with fully playable demos, designed to showcase core gameplay within the first few minutes.

• Games emphasized delivering key mechanics within the first 5 minutes.

• Demo loops were optimized for 10 minutes or less to increase engagement.

• Developers clearly prioritized first-minute UX, focusing on intuitive controls and fast onboarding.

The entire show floor felt less like a promotional stage and more like a live user-testing environment, where player reactions became real-time data for developers.

📖 The Rise of Narrative-Driven Game Development

Another notable shift was the rising importance of narrative design. This year’s G-CON conference centered entirely around storytelling, with creators from gaming, webtoons, animation, and film sharing insights on worldbuilding, emotional arcs, and transmedia storytelling.

The packed sessions showed that the market is rapidly transitioning from graphics-focused competition to story-driven competition, where meaning, immersion, and character arcs define long-term engagement.

⚠️ Areas of Concern: Reduced Scale and Imbalanced Structure

Despite the positive trends, G-STAR 2025 also revealed several issues.The event suffered from:

• Reduced overall exhibition size

• Fewer indie and small studios

• Removal of the dedicated subculture zone

• Weak outdoor booth presence

Many in the industry questioned the event’s direction, noting that some decisions conflicted with global trends—especially the elimination of the subculture area, despite its rising popularity worldwide.

🚀 A Positive Outlook for Korea’s Game Industry

Even with its limitations, G-STAR 2025 clearly demonstrated where Korea’s game industry is heading next. The return to PC and console development, aggressive IP expansion, UX-centered design, and narrative-focused creation are becoming the core pillars of future growth.

NCSoft’s large-scale booth and the overwhelming response to AION 2 underscored that Korean major studios still hold strong influence and brand power. Although the event’s scale has diminished, G-STAR 2025 leaves behind a sense of renewed optimism for the next phase of Korea’s game industry.