'G-Star' Returns After 3 Years with Massive Crowds... "Looking Forward to Console Games"

Console Desert Korea, New Releases Unveiled One After Another
Clouds of Crowds from Opening Day... 1-Hour Wait to Experience New Titles
Weekend After College Entrance Exam Expected to Draw Record Crowds

[Asia Economy Busan=Reporter Seungjin Lee] The international game exhibition 'G-STAR 2022,' held normally for the first time in three years, attracted huge crowds. The top interest among game enthusiasts gathered from all over the country was the console games that would be born in Korea, a "console desert."

"Most Anticipated: Console Games"

At 9 a.m. on the 18th at the Busan BEXCO G-STAR venue, visitors who arrived early were noticeable everywhere.

Even an hour before the event started, Park Juhyung (21, pseudonym), who came to the exhibition, said, "I heard that you have to wait at least an hour to try the new games on the opening day yesterday, so I came early in the morning." He added, "I will try all the new games, but the one I want to play first is Krafton's new title, 'The Callisto Protocol.'"

Despite the 2023 College Scholastic Ability Test being held the previous day, many visitors flocked to the site on the opening day. The new game experience zones of major game companies such as Nexon, Netmarble, Kakao Games, and Krafton were so crowded that visitors had to wait in line for more than 30 minutes on average. In particular, the audience's interest was focused on console games to be released by domestic game companies.

Min Juhwan (27), who visited the exhibition from Bundang-gu, Gyeonggi-do on the opening day, said, "Domestic game companies have mainly developed mobile games, but this year, many new console games are being introduced and can be experienced, so I came to the exhibition with my friends." He added, "I tried several games and was quite satisfied, so I have high expectations."

Nexon CEO Lee Jungheon also expressed high expectations for console games. When asked by reporters which booth and new game impressed him the most while touring the exhibition booths with other game company CEOs after the opening ceremony the previous day, he answered without hesitation, "Krafton's 'The Callisto Protocol.'"

Among the console games that attracted attention at G-STAR, Neowiz's 'P's Falsehood' cannot be overlooked. 'P's Falsehood' made headlines by winning three awards at the international game show 'Gamescom,' the first Korean game to do so. Neowiz attracted attention by unveiling a demo version of 'P's Falsehood' at G-STAR.

On the 17th, visitors are lining up to try out "The Callisto Protocol" at the Krafton booth at Busan BEXCO's "G-Star 2022."

On the 17th, visitors are watching the gameplay video of "Solo Leveling" at the Netmarble booth at Busan BEXCO's "G-Star 2022".

Weekend After College Exam Expected to Draw Record-Breaking Visitors

G-STAR is expected to attract visitors at levels similar to those before COVID-19 in 2019. In 2019, G-STAR saw a record-breaking 240,000 visitors. This year marks the first normal event in three years, and with game companies showcasing various new titles, a record crowd is expected over the weekend.

Nexon has prepared about 560 demo stations where visitors can experience major new titles such as 'Mabinogi Mobile,' 'First Descendant,' 'KartRider: Drift,' and 'Dave the Diver.' Consoles are prominently placed, along with mobile and PC setups. Netmarble installed about 160 demo stations, allowing visitors to directly experience upcoming releases like 'Solo Leveling: Arise,' 'Paragon: The Overprime,' 'Hype Squad,' and 'Arthdal Chronicles.'

Kakao Games, participating with about 100 booths, prominently featured 'Ares: Rise of Guardians' and 'Distera.' Krafton welcomes visitors with experience booths for new titles 'The Callisto Protocol' and 'Moonbreaker.'

The event, held over four days until the 20th, has expanded to 987 companies from 43 countries with 2,947 booths, more than double last year. The G-STAR organizing committee plans to thoroughly manage safety, including controlling visitor density in advance, anticipating a surge of examinees after the college entrance exam.