○ Achieved the highest ever performance with export consultation amount of 230 million dollars and 115,000 visitors
○ PlayXpo, which led the activation of the game industry, is also popular with e-sports competitions and experience zones
The ‘2025 PlayX4’, the largest convergence game show in the metropolitan area, has come to a close with its greatest ever performance, recording a total of 115,000 visitors and $203 million in export consultations.
This event, held for four days from May 22nd to 25th at KINTEX Hall 1 in Goyang City, was attended by a total of 721 large domestic and international game companies and small and medium-sized developers, including Neowiz, Smilegate, Supercell Korea, Daewon Media, Nimble Neuron, Bandai Namco, and Blizzard Entertainment. Various new game announcements and communication events with visitors were held, attracting the attention of many visitors.
KINTEX Exhibition Center 1 Halls 3-5 were filled with a variety of game booths, including console, PC/mobile, arcade, and board game booths, providing visitors with a rich experience. Supercell presented an experiential play area, Neowiz presented an indie game zone and ‘Yutdori Land’, and Smilegate Stove presented a theme park concept booth. In particular, the arcade special zone was expanded to 150 booths this year, evoking nostalgia for arcade culture, and the ‘Nostalgic Game Center’ and ‘Retro Market’ were very popular with families.
The Gyeonggi e-Sports Festival was also held, with matches featuring participation from various social groups, including the disabled, college students, and families. Major e-sports competitions, such as the Brawl Stars Pro Team Invitation Event, the Eternal Return Korea E-Sports League, and the ASL Season 19 Finals, were broadcast live online, receiving great responses both on-site and online.
This year, the B2B exhibition hall went beyond a simple consultation space and was designed as a content-centered business promotion zone, providing practical support to participating developers through user-focused testing (FGT) and game auditions, which served as a gateway for small and medium-sized game companies. A total of 563 companies (211 domestic developers and 352 domestic and foreign buyers) participated in the export consultation meeting, conducting 1,476 consultations and recording export consultation amounts of USD 203 million, an 18.7% increase from the previous year.
This event significantly expanded the size of the booths and stage events, improved the entry system for the safety of visitors, and systematized re-entry and movement routes to increase operational convenience. In addition, auxiliary facilities such as traffic guidance, information desks, and rest areas were further strengthened, resulting in high satisfaction from participants.
Lee Seong-ho, director of the Gyeonggi Province Future Growth Industry Bureau, said, “The 2025 Play Expo is a platform that realizes the innovation and potential of the game industry,” and added, “Based on the opinions of various developers collected at this event, the province will actively pursue attracting investment from developers and creating an industrial ecosystem through ‘Gyeonggi Game Connect 2025’ in the second half of the year.”
