The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism released its '2026 Business Description' on its official website on the 29th, detailing the projects to be carried out this year. According to the report, the budget for game industry development is 74.887 billion KRW, a 5.2% increase from the previous year. Notably, the focus is heavily placed on fostering indie games and supporting the AI transformation of game companies.

The largest portion of the budget, totaling 51.578 billion KRW, is allocated to 'Game Enterprise Development.' This is divided into planning, production, and distribution (export) support. The planning support is directly linked to indie games, including programs to discover promising projects for corporations, individual businesses, and prospective founders, as well as a 'Lead Enterprise Matching Program' that connects indie developers with industry leaders. Support for participation in indie game exhibitions is also provided, targeting Japan's BitSummit in July, the Busan Indie Connect Festival in August, and China's WePlay in November. Additionally, an indie game showcase will be held in Pangyo in December.

In addition, game enterprise development includes 'Game Commercialization Support' for SMEs, general game content production support, 'Functional Game Content Production' support, and distribution support, including a 'Flexible Selection' option where companies can choose the specific services they need.

Along with indie games, the support for AI transformation in the game industry is a key focus. This is a newly established project this year with a total budget of 7.5 billion KRW, primarily aimed at helping SMEs utilize AI tools. Support is provided based on company size: 5 million KRW each for 200 teams of 1-2 people, 10 million KRW each for 150 companies of 3-10 people, 20 million KRW each for 100 companies of 11-20 people, and 50 million KRW each for 50 companies of 21-50 people. Training on AI tool utilization will also be provided.

Other initiatives include operating the Global Game Hub Center to support SMEs, fostering a healthy game culture, supporting e-sports activation including the construction of permanent stadiums in Asan and Jecheon, and hosting the Korea Game Awards, as well as managing the 'National Technical Qualification' for game-related certifications. Regarding the game certification, the National Assembly has pointed out its low effectiveness, and the Ministry plans to strengthen promotional activities for schools and enhance its practical value by ensuring that certificate holders receive preferential treatment in hiring and promotions.

Finally, a 'National Game Museum' has been established as a new project with an investment of 1.499 billion KRW. It is designed as an integrated facility to collect, store, and exhibit game and e-sports materials, with the goal of preserving game culture and promoting research. A government-led game museum has been a topic of discussion for some time, and the key will be whether it can be developed in a way that maximizes the utility of the facility.

Based on these game industry development projects, the Ministry expects to lead the global game market by fostering PC, console, mobile, arcade, board, and functional games. Furthermore, it aims to lay the foundation for the development of the game industry through specialized support for indie games and expand the export of domestic games by supporting the direct overseas expansion of domestic SMEs. It also plans to build a foundation for grassroots e-sports through the construction of e-sports stadiums and the hosting of regional leagues.

The budget for the Game Rating and Administration Committee is 15.431 billion KRW. A major new initiative is the operation of the Game User Damage Relief Center. Related legislation was implemented last August, and the goal is to establish relief measures for damages suffered by game users.