South Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) said on Oct. 19 they will hold the '2026 Console Game Developers Conference' on Nov. 9 at the Sky31 Convention at Seoul's Lotte World Tower.

This year's event, being held for the second time following last year, will be held under the theme, "How are console games that work worldwide made?" It will widen the speaker lineup to include developers not only from Japan but also from North America and Europe, sharing game production experience and processes for entering platforms.

The global track will include development teams behind major console and PC games such as "The Witcher", "Cyberpunk" and "RimWorld".

Pawel Sasko (파벨 사스코), associate game director at CD Projekt Red, will introduce methods for designing quests and stories that players remember, based on examples from "The Witcher" and "Cyberpunk".

Katsuhiro Harada (하라다 카츠히로), chief executive officer at VS Studio, will share experience in developing and operating a global intellectual property (IP) that has continued for more than 30 years and in building fan communities.

The event will also feature Kazutaka Kodaka (코다카 카즈타카), producer at Too Kyo Games known for "Danganronpa", RimWorld developer Tynan Sylvester (타이난 실베스터), and Shift Up Chief Technology Officer Dong-ki Lee (이동기), who will each present on game narratives, indie game development and improving final-stage completeness.

Former Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) Worldwide Studios head Shuhei Yoshida (요시다 슈헤이) will moderate a panel discussion. Speakers will share development experience under the theme, "Console games that work worldwide, the developers' candid stories".

This year also includes practical sessions for domestic developers on entering console platforms.

Sony Interactive Entertainment Korea (SIEK) will explain the PlayStation release process from partner registration to passing technical requirements checklists (TRC). Attendance in the session will be possible after an approval process and a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) for those who apply in advance.

Xbox will provide guidance on the platform ecosystem and release strategy, store registration and certification, and procedures for setting up development environments and distribution through a session titled, "Jump In: An all-in-one guide to entering Xbox." Rose Michel (장미셸), head of partnerships in South Korea, and Xbox staff will take part.

The event will be held in conjunction with 'Game Days.' On-site programs will include domestic console games and an Xbox experience zone, along with a demo space for winning titles from the Global Indie Game Development Contest (GIGDC).

A networking reception involving key speakers and officials from domestic developers and platform companies will also be run.

Kim Sung-jun (김성준), head of KOCCA's Game New Technology Division, said, "We will share overseas developers' production experience and platform companies' practical information and strengthen support for domestic game companies' entry into the global console market."