Japan's largest gaming exhibition, the Tokyo Game Show 2026 (TGS 2026), opened on September 17. Major Korean game companies are showcasing a variety of new subculture titles in Japan, a rapidly emerging market.
As the domestic gaming industry broadens its focus beyond mobile MMORPGs to capture global users, this year's TGS serves as a platform to assess the competitiveness and market potential of new releases from Korean companies in the world's third-largest gaming market.
TGS 2026 is being held from September 17 to 21 at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, Japan. Celebrating its 30th anniversary, the event has expanded to five days, featuring a record 1,138 companies with 3,999 booths, including 540 from Japan and 598 from overseas.
Korean game companies are heavily participating in the Tokyo Game Show. Major firms such as Nexon, NC, Netmarble, Smilegate, NHN, and Shift Up are presenting new titles. Mid-sized and indie developers are also attending to expand their reach in Japan and other global markets.
According to the '2025 Korea Game White Paper' published by the Korea Creative Content Agency, Japan accounts for 10.0% of the global gaming market, ranking third after China (24.2%) and the United States (20.9%). The representation of subculture games, which have a strong user base in Japan, has significantly increased among the titles presented by Korean companies.
Nexon Games and NC are debuting their new subculture titles, 'Paralydia' and 'Astraea Oratio,' respectively, at TGS. Nexon Games' 'Paralydia' is the next project from the team behind 'Blue Archive,' emphasizing interaction between characters and players.
NC's 'Astraea Oratio,' developed by Dynamis One, is set in a fictional Tokyo in 1989, featuring retro-style analog art. The game will showcase its artistic elements alongside gameplay features like turn-based combat.
Netmarble is presenting its collectible RPG 'Pearl in Blue,' which is its first self-produced subculture game. Smilegate is showcasing the subculture collectible RPG 'Future City: The Invisible Future.'
Platform expansion is also notable, with developers moving beyond mobile to PC, console, and multi-platform releases. Shift Up will demonstrate the Nintendo Switch 2 version of 'Stella Blade Complete Edition' at the Sega/Atlus booth for the first time. Last year, 'Stella Blade' expanded from PlayStation 5 to PC, and now it is targeting the current generation console market with the Switch 2 version. Gravity will also unveil its 'Ragnarok Console Project,' expanding its flagship IP 'Ragnarok' to consoles for the first time at TGS.
Some companies are leveraging existing successful titles and intellectual properties (IPs) to penetrate the Japanese market. Nexon is showcasing 'Mabinogi Mobile,' while Netmarble and Smilegate are presenting 'Shangri-La Frontier: The Seven Strongest' and 'Dead Account: Two Blue Flames,' respectively, both based on popular Japanese manga. NHN PlayArt is participating in TGS for the first time in eight years, presenting seven titles, including three new releases.
The government is also using TGS to assess the overseas expansion status of Korean game companies. Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Choi Hwi-young plans to visit the TGS on the 20th to tour domestic company booths and review key exhibits while gathering feedback from the industry.
This marks the first visit by a sitting culture minister to TGS. It is reported that he will also visit the Korean Pavilion, established by the Korea Creative Content Agency to support the overseas expansion of small and medium-sized game companies. As Korean companies increasingly enter the Japanese market, the government aims to directly understand the industry's overseas expansion status and challenges while exploring support measures.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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