South Korea's premier gaming showcase, G-Star 2025, is set to kick off at BEXCO in Busan from Wednesday the 13th through Sunday the 16th. Much like last year, the entirety of BEXCO Exhibition Centre 1 and the first floor of Exhibition Centre 2 will host the B2C zones, while the B2B sector takes over the third floor of Exhibition Centre 2, wrapping up its run on the 15th.

This year's G-Star sees a contraction in total booth space compared to last year's record-breaking figures. With 2,106 B2C booths and 904 B2B booths, the total count stands at 3,010—a 10.4% dip from last year’s 3,359. The initial reveal of the lineup for Exhibition Centre 1 sparked some anxiety due to the absence of several major domestic developers. Fortunately, the addition of various international studios in Exhibition Centre 2 managed to salvage the event's standing as the nation's premier gaming bash.

Exhibition Centre 1 is the primary stage for many domestic developers. Netmarble, in a familiar move, is returning with a massive presence and a slew of new titles. Spanning 112 booths with 145 demo stations, the interior will feature a giant 'Diane' statue from 'The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin' and a massive 'Meow' cat from 'Mongil: Star Dive'. Attendees can get hands-on with 'Project Evilbane', 'Solo Leveling: Arise', 'The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin', and 'Mongil: Star Dive', along with the new title 'Sol: Enchant'.

WeMade is bringing 100 booths to showcase its post-apocalyptic strategy defense title, 'Gate of Gates'. Beyond the demo stations, they are hosting mini-games and signing sessions. To sweeten the deal, they've included an event zone for the new title 'TERVIS' and a collaboration with their character brand, 'WeMade Friends'.

Wemade Connect, a subsidiary of Wemade, is debuting its subculture title 'N.O.A.H'. It’s a turn-based strategy RPG set in a ruined world, marking its first public appearance at G-Star. Visitors can test the build and snag some official merchandise.

As the main sponsor, NCSoft is pulling out all the stops with roughly 300 booths dedicated to 'AION 2' and 'Sinder City'. Other domestic heavyweights like Google Play, Gravity, and Neowiz are also making appearances. However, the list of those choosing to stay away—such as Nexon, Pearl Abyss, Kakao Games, and Smilegate—remains a talking point.

Exhibition Centre 2 is where the international crowd takes the stage. With booths from Warhorse Studios, Sega & Atlus, Bandai Namco Entertainment, Unity World, Blizzard Entertainment, and the Indie Showcase 2.0, the area is packed. Notably, all these exhibitors have representatives speaking at this year's G-CON conference.

Sega and Atlus are scaling back from their October Tokyo Game Show footprint. Expect art displays for 'Metaphor: ReFantazio' and 'Persona 3 Reload', plus playable demos. Bandai Namco Entertainment Korea is celebrating the 30th anniversary of 'Ace Combat' with a special exhibit, while Warhorse Studios is prepped for 'Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2' demos.

Blizzard Entertainment is making a comeback to G-Star after a 12-year hiatus. Their focus is firmly on 'Overwatch 2', featuring a playable build and live events. 'Overwatch 2' has been selected as the official title for the 'G-Star Cup' esports tournament; qualifiers and semi-finals hit the Busan Esports Arena on the 13th and 14th, with the grand final taking place on the 15th at the Exhibition Centre 2 main stage.

The G-Star Indie Showcase, which earned plenty of praise last year, is back. Last year’s lineup included hits like 'The Metamorphosis', 'Shape of Dream', and 'Halkemist'. Once again, demo zones featuring the Steam Deck will be available for attendees.

G-Star’s 'G-CON' conference has become a staple for industry star-power. Last year, we saw Neople’s Yoon Myung-jin, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth producer Yoshinori Kitase, and Shanghai Sunborn Network’s CEO Huang Zhong (YuZhong) sharing insights. G-Star 2025 continues this trend with a fresh wave of legendary developers and industry insiders.

Thursday the 13th kicks off with a deep dive into creative philosophy from Clover Studio head Hideki Kamiya and director Yoko Taro. Later, director Byun Sung-hyun discusses his recent film 'Good News', followed by a session on narrative philosophy with Round 8’s Choi Ji-won, Lee Sang-kyun, and Jin Seung-ho (Sooilbae).

Friday the 14th starts strong with Obsidian’s Design Director Josh Sawyer, Larian’s Cinematic Director Jason Latino, and Warhorse’s Executive Producer Martin Klima discussing choice and narrative. The lineup continues with the father of Dragon Quest, Yuji Horii, Final Fantasy 14 director Naoki Yoshida, and Jennifer Svedberg, the lead writer for the buzzworthy 'Clair Obscur: Expedition 33'.

Beyond the talks, the networking is in full swing. The Korea Game Awards take place on the 12th, the day before G-Star begins. On the 14th, from 16:00 to 18:00, the G-Star Network Party will be held in the 3rd-floor lobby of Exhibition Centre 2. The G-Star Cup finals happen on the 15th, and the G-Star Cosplay Awards wrap things up on the 16th, running from 15:00 to 18:00.