Where Are Nexon, NCSOFT and Netmarble? G-STAR 2026's Missing Giants
Last year NCSOFT filled 300 booths as main sponsor. This year Korea's 'big three' are nowhere on the floor. Where they went, why Tokyo is winning, and what it means for Korea's biggest game show.
A year ago, NCSOFT was G-STAR's main sponsor and filled a 300-booth exhibit at BEXCO. This year, if you walk the floor looking for the companies Koreans call "3N", Nexon, NCSOFT and Netmarble, you won't find them. As of Issue On's October report, none of the three had announced plans to take part, and Gamemeca summed up the domestic presence as "pretty much limited to Krafton and Webzen".
Where they went
In August, Herald Business reported that Korea's largest publishers were heading to Tokyo Game Show 2026 instead:
- Nexon had a dedicated TGS stand showing Mabinogi Mobile and Project RX.
- Netmarble brought three new titles to Tokyo: Shangri-La Frontier, Solo Leveling: Karma and Pearl in Blue.
- NHN PlayArt (NHN's Japanese arm) and Smilegate, with Mirae: Invisible Future, were also in Tokyo.
None of the companies gave an official explanation in the reports we read, so the reasons below are the press's analysis, not company statements.
The numbers behind the move
- Visitors: TGS 2025 drew 263,101 people, against about 202,000 at G-STAR 2025, according to Herald Business.
- Length: TGS 2026 grew to five days from four.
- Reach: Issue On notes that overseas shows like gamescom and TGS are seen as more efficient for companies trying to grow abroad, and that's exactly where Korean publishers' growth is coming from. NCSOFT's overseas sales just reached 54% of revenue (read more).
Who filled the gap
The space has gone to global companies and indies. NetEase runs three booths, CD Projekt Red debuts, Koei Tecmo and Sega anchor a new Global Game Showcase, and the indie hall has grown to 106 studios. Krafton, on its 10th straight year, is now the flag-bearer for Korean publishers (Krafton spotlight). The organisers' line, Issue On reports, is that the show shouldn't depend on any single company.
WGC's take
Losing the 3N hurts G-STAR's headlines, but it may be healthy. A show led by global studios and indies gives Korean players games they rarely see at home, and gives small Korean developers far more attention than they'd get next to a 300-booth giant. The question for 2027 is whether the big three come back, or whether Busan reinvents itself as Asia's most international game festival.
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