As the world's biggest game show, Gamescom 2026, opens in August, Korea's game companies including Krafton, Pearl Abyss and NC will push into the global market with new titles. This year's Gamescom is expected to hit a record scale, with an early registration increase of 15% from a year earlier and a planned visit by Germany's president.
According to the game industry on the 8th, Gamescom 2026 will be held in Cologne, Germany, from Aug. 26 to 30. The organizer said early registration by participants rose 15% from a year earlier, and with corporations from more than 40 countries and national pavilions from 23 countries confirmed, a record scale is expected. Last year, Gamescom drew about 357,000 visitors from 128 countries, and participants totaled 1,568 companies from 72 countries. Business visitors alone topped 34,000, and overseas participants made up about 70%.
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will deliver a keynote at the Gamescom Congress on Aug. 27 local time, then join a panel discussion on "the role of games in democracy." The official opening ceremony on the 26th will be attended by Vice Chancellor and Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil, Minister Dorothee Bär of the Ministry of Research, Technology and Space, and North Rhine-Westphalia Minister-President Hendrik Wüst.
As Gamescom cements its status as the world's largest game show, major Korean game companies are set to unveil next-generation flagship titles at this year's event. That's because Gamescom has become the starting line for global competition in new releases and the first stage to gauge market reaction to anticipated titles.
Krafton will reveal an unannounced slate at this Gamescom. Krafton said it plans to showcase five titles in total, including an unannounced PUBG Studio project, NO LAW, Project ZETA, Age Twisters and TARAE: The Unbound. Krafton added it will expand its portfolio by exhibiting second-party publishing titles alongside its in-house developments.
Pearl Abyss will showcase Crimson Desert at this year's Gamescom in collaboration with Samsung Electronics. At the Samsung Electronics booth, 30 PCs will run Crimson Desert demos, and visitors can experience the game on the world's first 6K gaming monitor, the Odyssey G8 (model G80HS). NC will operate a B2B (business-to-business) booth through its North America subsidiary and present games in development to global game-industry officials. In particular, it is expected to target the global market with the new massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) AION2 and the open-world shooting game Cinder City.
Korean small and midsize game companies will also head to Gamescom. The Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) said it will support the participation of 13 Korean small and indie game companies through the Korea joint pavilion. Competitive new titles from Korean small developers, such as Aiverton's Guns and Dragons and Emotionwave's MU Drum, are also set to be unveiled on site. In addition, other major game companies including Nexon and Netmarble are considering joining Gamescom.