'G-Star 2022' for Gamers... Successful but Lacking Communication

184,000 Visitors at Busan BEXCO Site
Korean Game Companies Confirm Global Competitiveness
Game Commission Faces Criticism for Lack of Communication with Gamers Amid Unfairness Controversy

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] Korea’s largest game festival, ‘G-STAR 2022,’ concluded successfully. After three years of normal hosting, the exhibition hall was continuously visited by gamers. Korean game companies responded by showcasing new titles across various platforms and genres, moving beyond a mobile-centric focus. However, communication with the audience for the development of the game industry remains a challenge.

Normal Hosting After 3 Years, Over 180,000 Visitors in Four Days

On the 21st, the G-STAR Organizing Committee announced that approximately 184,000 people visited the exhibition hall during the four-day event held at BEXCO in Busan from the 17th to the 21st. This year’s attendance did not reach the record high of 244,309 visitors in 2019, which is attributed in part to thorough safety management due to the Itaewon tragedy.

The ‘G-STAR TV’ online broadcast, operated with the same hours as the offline event, attracted about 970,000 viewers, starting with 216,661 unique viewers (UV) on the opening day, the 17th, followed by 195,839 on the 18th, 297,451 on the 19th, and an estimated 260,000 on the 20th.

The B2B hall, set up on the first floor of BEXCO’s second exhibition hall, was held for three days from the 17th to the 19th. Paid buyers registered 1,748 on the first day, 405 on the second, and 60 on the third, totaling 2,213, which is about a 60% increase compared to 1,367 in 2021.

The G-STAR Conference (G-CON), held over 44 sessions (4 keynotes, 40 general, 4 tracks), featured the highest-level speaker lineup ever and set a new record for maximum attendance. The total number of attendees across sessions over two days was approximately 6,500.

On the 18th, visitors are trying out new games at the Nexon booth at 'G-Star 2022' held at BEXCO in Busan.

Platform and Genre Diversification... Growth in Global Competitiveness

This year, G-STAR expanded the BTC hall not only to BEXCO’s first exhibition hall but also to the third floor of the second exhibition hall. Major domestic game companies such as Nexon, Netmarble, and Wemade participated in the BTC hall after a long time, igniting excitement. The main focus of major game companies this year was platform diversification through console games.

Nexon attracted 23,000 visitors by the second day. Console games like ‘Dave the Dive’ and ‘KartRider: Drift’ drew large crowds, revealing gamers’ high expectations for console games developed by domestic companies. The Krafton booth was very popular for the upcoming survival horror console game ‘The Callisto Protocol,’ scheduled for release next month, with visitors waiting nearly two hours to try the demo.

Long lines also formed for Neowiz’s ‘P’s Lie.’ Especially after winning three awards at Gamescom, one of the world’s top three game shows, gamer interest increased, and some visitors returned the next day after being unable to try the demo due to long waits. Netmarble, Kakao Games, and Wemade also showcased numerous new PC and mobile games across various genres.

Subculture genre games were also popular. In particular, the booth of Chinese game company ‘Hoyoverse,’ famous for Genshin Impact and Honkai, attracted many visitors. The queue for purchasing merchandise was filled within 30 minutes of opening. The booth of Chinese game company ‘Level Infinite,’ which exhibited ‘Goddess of Victory: Nikke,’ also saw a continuous flow of visitors.

On the 18th at BEXCO Busan during 'G-STAR 2022,' visitors are lining up to try out Krafton's new game, 'The Callisto Protocol.'

Despite Being the Largest Gathering of Hundreds of Thousands of Gamers... Communication Remains Insufficient

Although it is the only annual venue where hundreds of thousands of gamers nationwide gather and communicate, the role of related government agencies for the development of the domestic game industry was disappointing. In particular, the Game Rating and Administration Committee (GRAC) recently caused controversy over unfair practices and announced plans to strengthen communication with game users, but this was not evident on site.

GRAC operated a booth in the first exhibition hall, the most visited area during G-STAR. They held events such as a game rating memory puzzle and eco-bag making, but due to insufficient promotion, very few visitors came to the booth. This contrasted with GRAC Chairman Kim Gyu-cheol’s statement at the ‘2022 Korea Game Awards’ held a day before G-STAR’s opening, where he pledged to “strive to become a more trusted public institution.”

Additionally, seminars and forums related to game policies were held during G-STAR but were not promoted to visitors at all. These events were attended only by some political figures and experts, and the gamers who would most closely experience the changing policies were not informed.

The blockchain-linked game ‘P2E (Play to Earn)’?a core business of main sponsor Wemade?was not enjoyed on site due to domestic regulations, and there was no forum for discussion related to domestic gamers, which was regrettable.

Kang Shin-cheol, chairman of the G-STAR Organizing Committee, said, “We thank all related organizations for their help in establishing and effectively implementing the safety management plan for G-STAR. Thanks to the active cooperation of participating companies and visitors, we were able to achieve both a successful event and safety. Going forward, safety is fundamental, and we will thoroughly prepare for ‘G-STAR 2023,’ which will show a further developed version of the normalized G-STAR.”