Aging in Korea's game industry is accelerating. The share of employees under 30 is shrinking, while the share of those 50 and older is growing. As the first generation of founders still leads the industry, aging is rapidly spreading even among active developers. With generational change delayed, analysts say users in their teens and 20s are turning to overseas games that emphasize a younger sensibility.
An analysis of the sustainability (ESG) reports of major Korean game companies on the 16th found that at most game companies, the share of employees under 30 fell, while the share of those 50 and older expanded.
At NC, the share of employees under 30 fell to single digits, from 13.2% in 2023 to 7.8% in 2025. During the same period, Com2uS fell from 26.1% to 20.9%, Netmarble from 20.1% to 13.0%, and Neowiz from 19.7% to 10.5%. Kakao Games also dropped from 21.0% to 14.1%, and Krafton declined from 19.0% to 16.8%. Wemade likewise fell from 22.1% to 19.1%, showing an overall downward trend.
By contrast, over the same period the share of employees 50 and older increased at most game companies. Neowiz rose from 2.2% to 6.7%, and Netmarble jumped from 0.6% to 3.3%. NC increased from 3.1% to 5.9%, Kakao Games from 3.9% to 6.2%, and Com2uS and Krafton also climbed from 1.8% to 3.7% and from 1.6% to 2.9%, respectively. Wemade edged down slightly from 5.1% to 4.7%, but still maintained a share around 5%.
Aging is not limited to workforce composition. The ages of the heads of major Korean game companies are also concentrated in their 50s. Notable examples include Bang Jun-hyuk, Netmarble chair (57), Kim Taek-jin, NC CEO (59), and Jang Byung-gyu, Krafton chair (53). Except for Kim Hyung-tae, SHIFT UP CEO (48), most are in their 50s or older. Critics note that first-generation founders who entered the industry amid the IT boom of the 1990s and 2000s still run their companies, and developers who joined during that period remain in the field handling core duties, entrenching the game industry's middle age.
Creativity and a spirit of challenge are core competitive strengths in the game industry, but observers say innovation momentum in Korea's game sector is weakening due to aging. While experienced talent can boost development efficiency, the structure is said to be hardening around repeatedly leveraging hit intellectual property (IP) with proven track records rather than discovering new IP. Because the core user base for MMORPGs such as "Lineage" and "The Kingdom of the Winds" is in their 40s and 50s, the market is skewed toward that genre, which may lead to slower growth and weaker global competitiveness.
As the industry's generational shift is delayed, Korean users in their teens and 20s have turned to foreign games with a younger sensibility. According to Mobile Index, among the top 10 game apps most used this year by users in their teens and 20s, only one or two were Korean titles. Supercell's "Brawl Stars," Riot Games' "Teamfight Tactics (TFT)," Microsoft Mojang Studios' "Minecraft" and the PC game platform "Steam," and Nintendo's "Pokémon GO" ranked near the top, effectively leading the young user base.