Gyeonggi-do has announced that pre-registration for the “2024 PlayX4,” the largest gaming festival in the Seoul metropolitan area, will continue until the 22nd.
The 2024 PlayX4, scheduled to take place from May 23rd (Thursday) to 26th (Sunday) at the KINTEX Exhibition Center in Goyang, is titled “Beyond the Joy of Gaming.” It embodies the desire for gaming to become a platform for communication beyond mere enjoyment.
At this event, attendees can enjoy indie games and games that evoke nostalgia, as well as various unique attractions related to gaming equipment and more. Small and indie game developers looking to expand internationally will have the opportunity to participate in online and offline business matching sessions, with participation from diverse overseas buyers. Additionally, there will be career information sessions with major gaming companies for students considering their future paths.
Esports tournaments catering to various demographics will take place on the esports festival stage, including tournaments for disabled gamers, campus competitions for university students, event matches to discover games suitable for esports adaptation, and the grand finals of popular esports leagues.
The export consultation session will run online and offline simultaneously, providing interpretation services and pre-arranged business matching for participating Korean developers. The online business matching will be available 24/7, considering the working hours of game distribution and publishing professionals in regions like North America and Europe.
This year’s PlayX4 has seen a record-breaking number of participants, with over 35% more new developers joining than the previous year. Within just two weeks of opening pre-registration on the website, over 150 overseas buyers from 25 countries, including China, Japan, Southeast Asia, Europe, North America, and the Middle East, have already confirmed their participation.
Major console companies like Microsoft’s Xbox and Japan’s SEGA have confirmed attendance. Additionally, representatives from various regions, including prominent indie publishers Nicalis and Tilting Point from the United States, global video game distributor 505 Games from Italy, leading PC online game publisher Gameforge from Germany, Bilibili from China, Xiabangxiabang Games, Garena, Megaxus Infotech from Indonesia, VTV Live from Vietnam, Electronics Extreme, and Zen Play from Thailand, will also be present.
Jeep Barnett, the developer of Valve’s renowned game series “Portal,” will participate in his first official mentoring session and fan meeting with B2B participating developers at the Korean gaming show. Furthermore, the organizing committee of the Thailand Game Show, a leading gaming show in Southeast Asia, will directly visit the B2B section, showcasing the growing prominence of the PlayX4.
A special section dedicated to content expansion through IP utilization, which Gyeonggi Province highly values, will also be operated. Domestic companies such as CJ ENM and Smilegate’s Stove Indie are preparing special sections. Overseas companies, including eStarplay, a game specialist company in China known as Samsung in the Indian market regarding global mobile sales, and BiliBili, are discussing establishing special sections. They also explore various expansion avenues such as OTT, ANIMATION, and short-form content through gaming IP.
The PlayX4 export consultation session will operate in the traditional B2B format and incorporate B2C to allow developers to promote their content to the general public. Over half of the approximately 150 game developers participating in this export consultation session are expected to join B2C activities, allowing the public to experience the games firsthand.
During the B2C period, which includes job fairs, various companies housed in the Gyeonggi Content Agency, such as board game and VR companies, will participate, enriching the diversity of the 2024 PlayX4.
Pre-registration on the PlayX4 website until 5:00 PM on the 22nd is required for those who wish to enter for free. Participants who do not pre-register can enter on the day of the event. Admission fees are 7,000 won for adults and 5,000 won for students, with a 50% discount available for Gyeonggi Province residents.
Kim Tae-geun, head of the Digital Innovation Department, expressed, “This event is a festival where families and couples can experience visual enjoyment in the city during May, the month of family. We hope everyone can experience various games’ diverse charm and healing.”