G-Star 2025 opens with 5-hour queues as gamers rush to try new titles

Visitors play new titles as Korea’s largest gaming expo, G-Star 2025, opens Thursday at BEXCO in Busan. Yonhap

BUSAN — Long lines, overnight camping and the return of a major franchise set an intense tone as G-Star 2025, Korea’s largest game exhibition, opened Thursday at BEXCO in the southeastern city of Busan.

By 10:30 a.m., a holding area of about 3,600 square meters was packed with thousands of visitors. The first attendee arrived at 10:20 p.m. the night before.

One office worker who traveled from Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, said he “laid out a sleeping bag after getting off the late train,” hoping to try upcoming indie releases. Another visitor said he drove down from Seoul at 2 a.m. to secure a spot for NCSOFT’s long-awaited title, AION 2.

This year’s exhibition runs for four days and features 1,273 companies from 44 countries running 3,269 booths.

Although major Korean publishers such as Nexon and Smilegate skipped the event, concerns about weakened turnout quickly faded as crowds surged into the venue. NCSOFT, Netmarble and Krafton each unveiled high-profile titles for the first time, drawing nationwide attention.

Visitors wait in a long line to enter G-Star 2025 at BEXCO in Busan on Thursday morning. Yonhap

Five-hour waits for AION 2

NCSOFT’s AION 2, considered one of the most anticipated massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) launches of the year, became the centerpiece of opening day. By 12:30 p.m., hundreds of people were lined up at the company’s massive 300-booth zone, with staff telling visitors to expect a five-hour wait.

A visitor from Daegu said he came solely for the game. The original AION, released in 2008, dominated Korean PC cafes for 160 consecutive weeks and generated 1 trillion won ($730 million) in revenue in four and a half years. AION 2, developed over seven years with a team of more than 300, is set for release on Nov. 19.

Other major game companies also revealed new titles. Krafton unveiled Palworld Mobile, a mobile adaptation of the popular Japanese game. The company prepared 76 demo stations, but the booth was forced to halt registration midday due to overcrowding.

Netmarble introduced the action RPG Solo Leveling: KARMA, attracting long queues despite offering 40 demo devices. By early afternoon, waiting times had climbed to as long as 90 minutes.

Visitors pack BEXCO in Busan on Thursday for 2025 G-Star. Yonhap

Korean publishers push genre and platform expansion

This year’s exhibition also highlighted a shift toward genre diversification among Korean developers.

Kim Taek-jin, NCSOFT founder and chief creative officer, said the company aims to “reimagine the MMORPG and expand into shooting, action and subculture titles,” signaling a move beyond its traditional portfolio.

The company showcased shooter games Cinder City and Time Takers, along with the anime-style action title Limit Zero Breakers. The company also debuted Horizon Steel Frontiers, based on Sony Interactive Entertainment’s Horizon franchise, calling it “a new kind of MMORPG.”

Netmarble also emphasized cross-platform strategy with titles playable on PC, console and mobile, such as Project EVILBANE and the open-world RPG The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin. A company executive said there had been “a long-standing desire to expand into consoles.”

Visitors play games at G-Star 2025 at Busan’s BEXCO on Thursday. The show runs through Nov. 16 and features 1,273 companies from 44 countries. Yonhap

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.