Indie Craft 2026, which supports the global expansion of domestic indie games, participated in Gamescom 2026, the world's largest game exhibition held in Cologne, Germany, where it engaged with global game industry representatives to explore international opportunities.
The Seongnam Industry Promotion Agency announced on September 4 that the Indie Craft organizing committee operated a promotional booth at Gamescom from August 26 to 28.
This year's participation marked the second consecutive year, with an expanded booth size compared to last year, focusing on introducing domestic indie games and developers.
The booth displayed images and key information about selected indie games, and an English directory was made available online via QR codes.
Notably, international representatives were able to directly access game information on-site and review related materials afterward.
Industry stakeholders, including overseas investors and publishers, visited the booth to experience the selected games firsthand, demonstrating interest in domestic indie games.
Discussions were held with some representatives regarding specific collaboration opportunities for global publishing and investment.
During the 'Indie Craft Networking Time' on August 27, domestic and international game industry representatives attended, facilitating exchanges between developers and foreign companies.
Discussions were also held regarding potential memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with overseas game-related organizations from New Zealand and Quebec.
This event is seen as significant in showcasing the potential for the Seongnam indie game ecosystem to connect with international markets.
Local citizens have expressed interest in the participation of game developers that have grown in the region at international exhibitions.
There is a prevailing hope among citizens that, as Seongnam is a city with a strong IT and gaming industry foundation, opportunities will continue to arise for local developers to showcase their competitiveness in overseas markets.
Moreover, there are calls for follow-up support that can lead to actual exports, investments, and overseas publishing, rather than merely participating in exhibitions.
Lee Joo-yeon, head of the Seongnam Industry Promotion Agency, stated, “Through our participation in Gamescom, we were able to showcase the capabilities of domestic indie games and developers to international industry stakeholders. We will continue to pursue various initiatives to support the overseas expansion of domestic indie game developers.”
Hwang Seong-ik, president of the Korea Mobile Game Association, added, “We will continue discussions on follow-up MOUs and promote selected works overseas to ensure that the interest shown by international representatives at Gamescom translates into tangible results.”
Indie Craft is set to hold an offline exhibition in conjunction with 'GXG 2026' from November 11 to 12.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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