The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) will host the 'Game Talent Academy Showcase 2026' at the DoubleTree by Hilton Seoul Pangyo in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, from January 13th to 14th.

The Game Talent Academy, established in 2019, is an institution dedicated to fostering game industry talent. It provides field-oriented practical training covering all areas of development, including planning, design, and programming. Students undergo project-based collaboration processes similar to actual development environments, gaining practical skills by executing the entire cycle from planning to launch.

This showcase will feature 13 games created by the academy's students. Attendees can experience new titles across various genres—such as action, roguelike, adventure, puzzle, horror, and RPG—on platforms including PC, Xbox, and VR, and engage directly with the developers.

Alongside the exhibition, career and startup consulting booths will be operated. Any visitor interested in game development can receive career guidance and advice through one-on-one consultations.

Open lectures exploring the trends of the global console game market will also be held. The keynote speech will be delivered by Sato Yoshiteru, CEO of IDEA FACTORY, who will discuss the importance of world-building, storytelling, and character intellectual property (IP) in console games, as well as global targeting strategies.

Following this, Ben Taylor, a technical producer at SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD., will give a lecture on the differences between North American, European, and Japanese console markets and the evolution of technology and art. Sessions focused on domestic console development practices are also scheduled.

Kim Nam-geol, head of the Game & New Tech Division at KOCCA, emphasized, "This Game Talent Academy Showcase is more than just an exhibition; it will serve as an opportunity to connect the potential of future talent with the industry and expand our vision for the global console market. We will continue to provide systematic support to nurture the core talent required by the field in line with the rapidly changing industrial environment."