The Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Seoul Business Agency (SBA) are officially calling for applicants for the 2026 Game Content Commercialization Support Project.

The initiative aims to deliver tangible results by leveraging AI-driven production innovation and a tailored growth-stage support system. They are set to select 13 companies with a total budget of 330 million KRW across three categories: AI-assisted game production (new), general game production, and game marketing.

The most significant shift is the introduction of a new category for generative AI-assisted game production. To help small and medium-sized game developers alleviate cost burdens, the agency will provide 10 million KRW directly to each of the 5 selected companies to integrate commercial AI tools into their workflows.

The grant covers subscriptions for generative AI tools—such as ChatGPT and Claude for planning, Midjourney and Stable Diffusion for art, GitHub Copilot for coding, ElevenLabs and Suno for sound, and Runway and Luma for video—along with consultancy fees for AI adoption strategies, capped at 20% of the total grant.

Existing production and marketing support remains structured around the development phase of the project. This includes production support for games currently in development (4 companies, up to 30 million KRW each) and marketing support for post-launch market penetration (4 companies, up to 40 million KRW each).

Production grants can be used for internal personnel costs, while marketing funds cover UA advertising on platforms like Google, Facebook, and Unity, as well as localization (translation and LQA) and influencer promotions.

Beyond the cash infusion, the program offers professional diagnostic feedback, seminars, investment matching, and office space. Furthermore, 15 private partners, including Smilegate Stove, Neowiz, and Com2uS Holdings, will provide specialized expertise in publishing, investment, cloud services, and translation.

Applications are open until March 26, 2026, with a clear focus on boosting game development and facilitating global market expansion.

Last year, the 8 companies supported by the Seoul Business Agency achieved 4.5 million global downloads and 10.53 billion KRW in revenue. Sadar's 'Guns Tower' secured a deal with French publishing giant Voodoo—which boasts 8 billion cumulative global downloads—to anchor its North American expansion. Grampus launched 'BTS Cooking On: TinyTAN Restaurant' in over 170 countries, while Super Planet tapped into the Southeast Asian market with their webtoon-based title 'Lv1 Player'.

Moon Goo-sun, Head of the Creative Industry Division at the Seoul Business Agency, noted, "By introducing generative AI support this year, we intend to lower the entry barrier for smaller studios and create a seamless bridge from production to marketing that translates into global success."