The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced on the 23rd that it will establish a content policy fund totaling 731.8 billion won in 2026, in collaboration with Korea Venture Investment. This represents a 131.8 billion won (22%) increase from the previous year and marks the largest fund ever. However, the absence of specific support plans for the gaming industry, which accounts for 13.6% of total content industry sales and is a key driver of content exports, is raising concerns within the industry.
Film budget is 81.8 billion won, and games are included in other budgets.
The most striking aspect of this fund’s creation is the imbalance in investment allocation across sectors. A separate film account of 81.8 billion won (three sub-funds) was established for the film industry, and the main investment fund for Korean films was expanded by 43.2%, from 39.6 billion won in 2025 to 56.7 billion won in 2026. The plan also clearly outlined specific items, including a 13.4 billion won fund for mid- to low-budget Korean films and a 11.7 billion won fund specializing in animation.
Meanwhile, the gaming industry is only mentioned in a lump sum, along with other sectors, under the terms “performance, video, games, etc.”, in the Culture Technology (CT) Fund (KRW 100 billion) and the Content New Growth Fund (KRW 75 billion). No specific plans have been disclosed regarding how much investment will be made in the gaming sector or how it will be supported.
Even though the content industry accounts for 64% of total exports, policy support remains a distant second.
In 2023, the domestic game industry’s sales reached KRW 22.9642 trillion, a 3.4% increase from the previous year, and exports reached USD 8.394 billion (approximately KRW 10.9785 trillion). Games are a dominant force in content exports, accounting for 64% of total content industry exports as of the first half of 2023.
In particular, Korea is a gaming powerhouse, ranking fourth in global game market share after the US, China, and Japan. Despite this, games haven’t even secured an independent investment category in the government’s content policy fund.
The proportion of games in IP and export funds remains unclear.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism proposed a KRW 200 billion IP fund and a KRW 200 billion export fund as the core of this fund. However, there’s no mention of the gaming industry’s share or priority within these funds. Despite gaming being a source of IP and a major export driver, the industry is structured to compete on equal terms with other content, such as webtoons, dramas, and movies.
In particular, the Culture Technology (CT) Fund only specifically states “new technology development in core fields such as performance, video, and games,” leaving it unclear how much will actually be invested in game technology development. The Content New Growth Fund also only provides a broad description of “start-up companies and promising future fields such as games and webtoons.”
“Games are always treated as ‘other'”…Regulations remain, but support remains unclear.
A gaming industry insider pointed out, “Even though the gaming industry accounts for 64% of content exports, it is always lumped into ‘others, etc.’ when it comes to policy support,” and “Since there is no independent account or clear investment goal like there is for movies, it is unclear how much support we will actually receive.”
Another industry insider criticized, “The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is touting the ‘300 trillion won era of K-culture,’ but games, which are at the center of it, are being pushed down in policy priorities,” adding, “Without a specific support plan for games, it is nothing more than an empty slogan.”
The Korean gaming industry has grown organically despite various regulations. However, with special regulations specific to the gaming industry, such as the game time selection system and the shutdown system, still in place, the lack of clear government policy support is fueling industry discontent.
Lim Seong-hwan, director of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s Cultural Industry Policy Bureau, stated, “The 2026 Content Policy Fund will actively support the stable growth of content companies and the strengthening of K-content’s global competitiveness by encompassing new growth areas and recovery markets,” but the gaming industry is demanding a more concrete implementation plan than just words.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has requested the creation of new “game accounts” for small and medium-sized indie game companies, citing concerns about profitability.
The gaming industry has already presented concrete alternatives to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Recently, through National Assembly debates and other forums, they officially requested the creation of a “game account” separate from the cultural account to focus investment on small and medium-sized indie game companies. They argue that, like the film industry, the gaming industry should have its own independent fund management system.
However, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism rejected this proposal, citing the low profitability of game funds and the fact that existing cultural accounts could also support game companies. Lim Seong-hwan, Director General for Cultural Industry Policy at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, expressed concern during a National Assembly debate, saying, “While we agree that more domestic capital should flow into games, losses from dedicated accounts could jeopardize the very existence of those accounts.”
The industry strongly opposes the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s stance. A gaming industry insider countered, “Even film funds aren’t guaranteed to be profitable, so focusing solely on games for ‘profitability’ is a double standard.” They added, “If game accounts carry a high risk of loss, doesn’t that suggest more policy support is needed for small and medium-sized and indie game companies, which are increasingly reluctant to attract private investment?”
Another official pointed out, “The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism says, ‘Support is possible with existing cultural accounts,’ but in reality, games are being pushed down in investment priorities as they compete with various fields.” He added, “Without independent accounts, support for the game industry will inevitably continue to take a backseat.”
The gaming ecosystem is dominated by large corporations, leaving small and medium-sized businesses and indie companies without investment.
The demand for new game accounts stems from structural issues within the domestic gaming industry. Currently, the Korean gaming market is dominated by large corporations like Nexon, NCsoft, Netmarble, and Krafton, generating the majority of revenue. These large corporations have ample internal capital and therefore don’t necessarily need policy funds.
Meanwhile, small and medium-sized indie game companies are suffering from chronic funding shortages. Game development typically requires initial investments of hundreds of millions to tens of billions of won, but it often takes two to three years or more to generate revenue, making private investors reluctant. The recent gaming market downturn has dampened investor sentiment, making it even more difficult for small and medium-sized game companies to secure funding.
The industry emphasizes that filling these investment blind spots is precisely the role of policy funds. A gaming industry insider stated, “Just as film funds support mid- to low-budget films, game funds should focus on supporting small and medium-sized and indie game companies, rather than large corporations. Only then can the gaming ecosystem grow healthily and new IPs continue to emerge.”
Korean indie games that have struggled to dominate the global stage
Korean indie games are achieving remarkable success in the global market. “Shape of Dreams,” developed by four developers, surpassed one million copies sold within three months of its release and won the Indie Game Award at the 2025 Korea Game Awards. “Sannabi,” developed by five college students, received overwhelmingly positive reviews (98%) on Steam, building a global fandom and winning the Indie Game Award at the 2022 Korea Game Awards. “Skull” became the first Korean indie game to reach one million copies sold in 2022, and surpassed two million in 2023.
Their success is no accident. Shape of Dreams captivated gamers worldwide with its unique gameplay that blends MOBA and roguelike elements; Sannabi, with its touching story that blends cyberpunk with a Korean sensibility; and Skull, with its unique head-swapping system. While all these games were created by small teams, they share a common thread: they achieved global success with the support of publishers.
These games, in particular, were able to focus on development thanks to the support of Neowiz, the publisher. The publisher assisted developers with areas like marketing, distribution, and localization that were difficult for developers to handle, serving as a bridgehead for entering the global market. However, not all indie games benefit from this opportunity. Most small and medium-sized indie game companies either fail to complete development due to financial difficulties or the absence of a publisher, or, even after release, remain unknown in the market due to insufficient promotion, fading into obscurity.
Behind the success of indie games lies private investment… Where is the government?
What’s notable is that all of these successes stemmed from private investment and the publishers’ ability to discover new talent, rather than direct government support. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s 731.8 billion won policy fund lacks specific support measures to support the potential of Korean indie games, as demonstrated by these games. While films receive systematic support through separate accounts and specific funds, games, boasting larger markets and higher export performance, are simply lumped together in various categories and categorized as “Other.”
The industry now emphasizes the need for concrete action, not just words. As The Shape of Dreams, Sannabi, and Skull have demonstrated, the global competitiveness of Korean indie games has already been proven. What’s needed now is a government policy commitment to systematically support small and medium-sized indie game companies with early development funding and publishing support, so that these success stories can continue to emerge.
If the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism truly aspires to usher in a “300 trillion won era of K-culture,” it must urgently establish clear and specific support measures for the gaming industry at its core, especially the indie games with their limitless potential. The government’s proactive role is crucial to ensuring that indie game developers who have made Korea’s name shine on the global stage don’t have to give up their dreams due to financial difficulties.
The gaming industry is increasingly demanding that the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism develop independent and specific support measures commensurate with the industry’s substantial contributions. They are particularly demanding that the Ministry establish a separate gaming account, similar to the film account, or at the very least, clearly disclose the proportion of investment in the gaming sector. If the Ministry is to realize the “300 trillion won K-culture era,” the industry must remember that urgent policy attention and investment in the gaming industry, a key driving force, is crucial.
