[Provided by Gyeongbuk Technopark]
[Provided by Gyeongbuk Technopark]

The 2026 Gyeongbuk Game Festival will run for three days, from Sept. 3 to Sept. 5, at the Gyeongsan Indoor Gymnasium and surrounding venues.

Gyeongbuk Technopark is organizing the event, with North Gyeongsang Province and Gyeongsan city serving as co-hosts. The Korea Creative Content Agency and the North Gyeongsang Game Content Industry Association are supporting the festival.

The event will combine a B2B export consultation program targeting overseas buyers from China, Japan and Southeast Asia with a public-facing B2C festival open to local residents.

The B2B export consultation program kicks off with a pre-reception on the evening of Sept. 2, with the main sessions taking place at the auxiliary gymnasium on Sept. 3.

Buyers from major Asian markets — including China, Taiwan, Thailand and Japan — will be invited for one-on-one pre-matched consultations and contract discussions with nine leading game companies from the province, along with a venue tour and networking opportunities.

The second day opens with an official ceremony and features talks by leaders from global game companies. Krafton Team Leader Kim Woo-jin will lead an "AI Master Class" at 11 a.m., followed by the opening ceremony at 1:30 p.m. An "AI Game Insight Conference" at 3 p.m. will bring together ByteDance's Carl Wang, Sega's Shimano Yuichiro and NCsoft AI Team Leader Na Gyu-bong to share the latest technology trends and global expansion strategies.

The final day focuses on programming for the general public and families. Highlights include an AI Magic Concert, an AI film screening presented with Lotte Wellfood, a gaming competition called "Today's Game King Challenge," a fan meetup with popular creator Binu TV, and a PC Play Zone retro gaming match.

Full schedules and program details are available on the official 2026 Gyeongbuk Game Festival website.

"This festival is both a gateway for regional game companies to expand into Asian markets and a global celebration for local residents to enjoy together," said Ha In-seong, president of Gyeongbuk Technopark. "We will continue to provide unwavering support to strengthen the brand competitiveness of North Gyeongsang's game industry and lead the future of K-games."


kbj7653@heraldcorp.com