By IndieGame.com Editorial Team | Updated: January 2, 2026
The Power of Play: Gaming’s Massive Export Share
The most striking figure in the report is the gaming industry’s contribution to international trade. Gaming exports reached approximately $9.44 billion, a 15.2% increase from the previous year. This single sector accounted for a staggering 69.5% of total content exports, driven by the global success of titles like NCSoft’s Lineage W and Wemade’s blockchain-integrated MIR4.
Digital Transformation and IP Expansion
The report highlights that the industry’s recovery was fueled by rapid digital transformation and the expansion of Intellectual Property (IP).
- Comics/Webtoons: Saw the highest revenue growth at 23.5%, as K-webtoons solidified their dominance in global platforms.
- Music: Export volume surged by 38.5%, supported by record-breaking physical album sales and the rise of NFT-linked digital goods.
- Contrasting Sectors: While knowledge information (+10.2%) and content solutions (+9.3%) flourished, the film industry (-8.7%) continued to struggle due to the slower-than-expected recovery of the theater market.
Emerging Trends in a Post-Pandemic World
The 2021 analysis identified several pivotal shifts that have since become industry standards:
- Digital Goods: The integration of K-pop with NFTs and the emergence of virtual influencers.
- Consumption Shifts: Changes in music streaming patterns via YouTube Music and a “kidult” driven surge in character-related consumption.
In addition, the report contains information that can comprehensively view the changes in the content industry environment in the second half of 2021 and the year, such as major macroeconomic trends, management experience of content companies, and analysis of corporate status. You can download the report of
