South Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) held the Game Talent Institute Showcase 2026 from Jan. 13 to 14 and presented new titles by trainees who will lead the future game industry, it said on Friday.

The event, held at the DoubleTree by Hilton Seoul Pangyo in Seongnam, was set up to share the institute's training results and exchange practical insights on global console game development.

The showcase unveiled 13 works produced by trainees. Attempts continued to push beyond genre limits, including action, roguelike adventure, puzzle and horror, based on platforms including PC and Xbox virtual reality (VR). Demonstrations included titles with fresh ideas such as "Daehwanjang Games" and "Omega: Protocol."

On Jan. 14, the second day of the event, a global console special lecture was held. Experts from South Korea and abroad, including Idea Factory CEO Yoshiteru Sato and Square Enix technical producer Ben Taylor, spoke and shared the latest market trends. They stressed the importance of world-building, story and character immersion over graphics specifications, and delivered advice centered on real-world cases.

Producer Ben Taylor assessed the trainees' works, saying, "From planning to the actual play experience, the structure is solid, and the level of completion is high enough that immediate commercialization is possible."

On Jan. 13, a job and startup consulting program for prospective talent was also run. Thirteen companies, including NCSoft and Pearl Abyss, took part and supported one-on-one consultations tailored to on-site demand.

KOCCA acting president Hyunseok Yoo said, "This showcase is meaningful as a bridge linking the industry and future talent," and added, "We will continue to spare no systematic support to cultivate key talent that the field needs."