The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) took to the floor at the Busan Indie Connect Festival 2026 (BIC 2026), held at BEXCO in Busan from August 14 to 16, to showcase a vibrant array of indie titles.

BIC 2026 is the country's premier indie gaming celebration, a tradition running annually in Busan since 2015. KOCCA returned as a platinum sponsor this year, facilitating business matching and providing exhibition space for participating studios. Furthermore, KOCCA teamed up with Pearl Abyss—a leading firm in the 2026 Korea Indie Game Dev Camp—and the Game Talent Institute to highlight the next generation of industry talent.

KOCCA hosted the 2026 Korea Indie Game Showcase in BIC, featuring five standout titles selected through their game design support programme: Diving Studio's 'The Newspaper of That Day', Sun Games' 'Light Odyssey', Odysseyer's 'Velaster', Oblicon's 'Net Raiders', and Project Moreum's 'Lone Chef'.

The numbers speak for themselves. On-site feedback surveys jumped by 72.7% compared to last year, reaching 772 responses, while business consultations grew by 50% to a total of 24. Per participating company, average foot traffic rose from 132 to 229 visitors, a 73.5% increase, and business matching sessions climbed from 2.7 to 4.8, marking a 77.8% gain.

To engage the crowds, KOCCA organised a stamp rally linked to Steam wishlisting and reviews, alongside an SNS contest featuring the mascot, 'Astronaut'. Additionally, they provided 1-on-1 business matchmaking with domestic and international publishers and investors via the official platform, MeetToMatch.

The results from the 2026 Korea Indie Game Dev Camp were also on display. This programme nurtures indie talent by providing development grants, professional mentoring, and partnerships with industry leaders. Six developers showcased their work at the Pearl Abyss booth: Hypertention with 'Textura', Harbor Games with 'Override: Dissonance', Abnormal with 'Breita', New City with 'Structural', Sesi Studio with 'Snow White in Wonderland', and Two Point Games with 'Hellgrid'.

Meanwhile, the Game Talent Institute pavilion unveiled six projects created by students, including 'Draw the Sword: Workshop Records', 'Baroque', 'Who is Beth', 'Alice in Boardland', 'Face the Face', and 'Yellow Jacket'. These developers held test sessions where industry experts evaluated their titles on game design, polish, and user experience (UX).

Kim Seong-jun, head of the Game & New Technology Division at KOCCA, noted that BIC 2026 served as a meaningful stage to witness the creative potential of indie studios and the practical skills of future talent. Kim Seong-jun pledged that the agency would continue to strengthen its full-cycle support, from discovering fresh ideas to building collaborative ecosystems and driving global expansion.