From PC, console titles at Gamescom to subculture, anime titles at Tokyo Game Show, Korean game powerhouses sharpen their global strategy.

Krafton showcases Project Zeta, a third-person multiteam tactical arena game, at Gamescom 2026 in Cologne, Germany, Aug. 27. (Krafton)
Krafton showcases Project Zeta, a third-person multiteam tactical arena game, at Gamescom 2026 in Cologne, Germany, Aug. 27. (Krafton)

Korean game companies are ramping up efforts to better target global gamers by strategically and selectively taking part in international game conventions: showcasing big-budget PC and console titles at Gamescom in Germany while promoting subculture, anime-linked titles at Tokyo Game Show.

For this year’s Gamescom, held Aug. 26 to 30 in Cologne with exhibition space selling out for the first time, Korean companies arrived with games aimed at Western tastes.

Krafton set up a standalone booth to flaunt five upcoming titles: PUBG: DED.NET, the newest series of the firm’s megahit survival shooter franchise PUBG with roguelite progression set in the fictionalized American Pacific Northwest in 1996, No Law, a first-person, cybernoir open-world shooter role-playing game, Project Zeta, a third-person multiteam tactical arena game, Age Twisters, a two-player cooperative action-adventure game, and Tarae: The Unbound, an isometric dark fantasy action RPG.

NC used Gamescom’s opening-night showcase to premiere the official title and two trailers of team-based survival first-person shooter Like or Die. It also unveiled that the global release date for Aion 2, a massively multiplayer online RPG, is set for Oct. 5 while presenting a new trailer for cinematic third-person shooter Cinder City. The company’s action-adventure MMORPG Guild Wars 3, which is being developed by its North American studio ArenaNet, took part in the business-to-business exhibition.

Pearl Abyss put Crimson Desert, an already popular open-world action-adventure, front and center, offering an enhanced playable build and a 6K gaming environment developed with Samsung Electronics.

Although the game came up short after being nominated for Best PC Game and Most Epic at the Gamescom Awards, Pearl Abyss’ approach to international gaming conventions likely has motivated other Korean game developers. It used previous editions of Gamescom and the Tokyo Game Show to build awareness and refine the title ahead of its eventual release in March this year.

Rendering of NC's exhibition booth at Tokyo Game Show 2026, slated to be held from Sept. 17 to 21 in Chiba, Japan (NC)
Rendering of NC's exhibition booth at Tokyo Game Show 2026, slated to be held from Sept. 17 to 21 in Chiba, Japan (NC)

Tokyo Game Show 2026, which runs from Sept. 17 to 21 at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, Japan as one of the largest gaming conventions in Asia, will again feature a number of Korean game powerhouses. But Korean publishers are not bringing the same playbook they took to Germany. Instead, their exhibitions will highlight anime-linked and subculture titles.

Nexon is positioning Fareidolia, formerly known as Project RX, as one of its main attractions, as the game will make its first playable appearance at this year’s TGS with Nexon re-creating its in-game setting at the booth. Mabinogi Mobile, which is expected to launch in Japan by the end of the year, will also be playable at a standalone booth designed with in-game backgrounds.

Netmarble will showcase three games built around intellectual properties likely to resonate with Japanese gaming fans: Shangri-La Frontier: The Seven Colossi, an anime-motivated RPG based on a Japanese hit cartoon and novel, Solo Leveling: KARMA, a roguelite action RPG, and Pearl in Blue, a subculture RPG.

NC is taking a similar route with Astrae Oratio, a subculture anime-themed title set in a fictionalized Tokyo in 1989. The game shows a sharp departure from the PC and console-oriented lineup the company presented at Gamescom in August.

Smilegate will return to TGS for a second consecutive year with MIRESI: Invisible Future, an upcoming subculture-themed, time-travel collectible RPG, to present an improved build incorporating player feedback on its 3D models, combat pacing and skill controls. It will also introduce more information on Dead Account: Two Blue Flames, an upcoming team roguelite RPG based on a popular cartoon.

“(Korean game companies) realize that the domestic market is not the way they can continue ,” a gaming industry official said.

“As their revenues rely more on global gamers, it appears obvious for them to allocate more resources on developing target-specific games that can appeal to global fans in both the western and eastern markets.”

Korean game firms Krafton, NC, Netmarble, Nexon and Pearl Abyss reported combined overseas sales of 6 trillion won ($4.5 billion) in the first half of this year, up about 60 percent from the same period last year.


hwkan@heraldcorp.com