On the 14th and 15th of November, the whole games industry will be descending on South Korea. Why? Because G-STAR is one of the biggest events in the world. An annual consumer show and b2b conference rolled into one, it brings investors, publishers, game makers and gamers together in Busan.
It includes the 2019 Korea Game Grand Prix, networking party, G-CON Global Game Conference 2019, G-STAR Indie Showcase and a Game Investment Market.
The organisers are expecting over 2,000 trade visitors from more than 42 countries, with a huge 230,000 consumers coming to check out the show.
Why Korea?
The Asian market is one of the fastest-growing regions in the games business. And South Korea itself is home to some of the biggest names in games including the likes of Netmarble, Gamevil, NCSOFT, Smilegate, Bluehole, Supercell (the annual sponsor of G-STAR) and many more.
G-STAR also attracts companies from neighbouring countries like Japan and China, plus other rapidly growing regions like South East Asia and India, creating enormous opportunities for establishing contacts in a relaxed environment.
Guests and speakers
G-STAR 2019 will include keynotes and talks from a huge variety of names in the gaming and technology spaces. Global giants such as Supercell, Bungie, CCP, Gearbox and Google will appear throughout the two-day event. The full list of speakers is as follows. More details on each speaker's role can be found here.
- Jenova Chen, CEO - That Game Company [KEYNOTE]
- Koji Igarashi, CEO - ArtPlay [KEYNOTE]
- Janos Gaspar & Pawel Wojs, Director - Creative Assembly [KEYNOTE]
- Hilmar Veigar Petursson, CEO - CCP Games [KEYNOTE]
- Randy Varnell, Managing Producer of Narrative - Gearbox Software
- Frank Keienburg, Game Lead - Supercell
- Linda Fane, Senior Agility Lead - Bungie
- Youngsoon Yang, Writer - Naver Webtoon
- Daigo Sato, CEO - Odencat
- Mike Borras, CEO - Iron Mountain Interactive
- Hyung Tae Kim, CEO - Shiftup
- Ji Hwan Lim, Strategic Partnerships Manager - Google
- Nick Dorazio, Director of Strategic Content - Inven Global
- Patrick Rose, Founder - GAMES ANALYSTS
- Woo Jin Kang, Executive Director - Oracle
- Bae Hyunjik, CEO - Nettention
- Ethan Kim, Founder - Hashed
- Michael Csurics, Founder - The Brightskull Entertainment Group
G-STAR schedule
While G-STAR 2019 doesn't kick off until the 14th of November, the Korean Game Award ceremony will kick off the week on the 13th. This evening event features the Korea Game Awards, where the best talent in Korea are celebrated and honoured for their achievements.
There will also be a welcome reception between 18:00 and 21:00, allowing trade visitors to settle in with some drinks and network with other attendees.
G-CON 2019 Global Games Conference – 14-15 November
Bexco, Exhibition Centre 2, 1st Floor Conference Rooms
This year’s G-CON features the finest speaker line-up in G-STAR history. Among the top games industry leaders taking to the stage this year are Jenova Chen -That Game Company, Hilmar Veigar Petursson - CCP Games, Hyung Tae Kim – Shiftup, Koji Igarashi – ArtPlay, Randy Varnell – Gearbox Software, Linda Fane – Bungie, Frank Keienburg – Supercell, Young Soon Tang – Naver Webtoon and Janos Gaspa/Pawel Wojs – Creative Assembly. With two full days of in-depth talks covering all areas of the games industry including game design, development, monetization, apps, 3D scanning and much, much more.
Tickets for this event are selling fast so grab yours now.
G-STAR Indie Showcase – 14-16 November
Bexco, 2nd Exhibition Building, 1st Floor Exhibition Hall
Indie developers have their own showcase hall at this year’s G-STAR. Over 30 indie studios have been selected to take part, and each studio will have their own space to showcase their latest games to the world. The studios taking part come from all over the globe, and there will be a wide range of different game styles and genres on show. G-STAR will also be giving a reward to the most popular game.
Party On The Beach
G-STAR has a packed schedule of events, but there are also plenty of other things happening around the event. There will be many parties organized by game companies at Haeundae Beach area in addition to the official reception and G-STAR parties, so keep your eyes open for announcements. Plus there’s free wifi almost everywhere, so you’re never out of touch.
Register Today
Online registration for G-STAR 2019 is only available until 31 October 2019 at the bargain price of $100 USD. After this time tickets can still be purchased on site but will cost $200 USD.
Grab your tickets now and ensure you don't miss out on the most significant games expo in Korea.
Organized by the Korea Association of Game Industry (K-GAMES) and co-organized by G-STAR Organizing Committee and Busan IT Industry Promotion Agency, the G-STAR conference is “the best gateway to the Asian games market”. Launched in 2005, this annual South Korean computer and video game trade and consumer show is the one-stop, easily-accessible gateway to Eastern markets.
It takes place annually in Busan, South Korea. With one of the most active and developed gaming markets behind it, the biggest players in publishing, development and investment gather at G-STAR every year, to do business and set the industry trends. Our sister site PocketGamer.biz will be there next month, so look out for us in the indie and b2b areas.
