The Korea Association of Games Industry announced on Monday that Busan will continue to host the G-Star gaming exhibition until 2028.

G-star is the country’s largest gaming exhibition held annually in November featuring games and developers from around the globe. After kicking off in Seoul in 2005, it relocated to Busan in 2009 and has been held at the Busan Exhibition and Convention Center ever since.

Previously, K-Games decided the G-Star venue for the upcoming two years and allowed a two-year extension after evaluating the event. Now, a single venue is able to host the event for four years and may be able to get an additional four-year extension, as is the case for Busan.

Since Busan started hosting G-Star in 2009, the number of gaming companies in Busan have increased five times while the revenue from games has increased 10 times.

When K-Games opened applications to host G-Star in January, Busan was the only city to apply.

The decision has laid the grounds for Busan to become the permanent host of the event.

“With the decision to host G-star for the next eight years, we will create ‘Game City Busan’ where the gaming industry and game culture can advance,” said Acting Mayor of Busan Lee Byeong-jin. “As G-Star’s partner we will do our best to make G-Star the greatest gaming convention in the world and make Koreans proud.”

Busan Metropolitan City also announced that a third convention hall for BEXCO that is currently being planned will be named “G-Star Hall.” In applying for the event, Busan announced a “5G strategy” where G-Business, G-Future, G-Culture, G-Activity and G-Healing will come together at the event.

In addition to BEXCO, the Busan Museum of Art, Busan Cinema, art complex F1963 and others will be utilized to make the event a mega convention encompassing many cultural centers around Busan.

Despite going completely online last year, G-Star attracted over 230,000 viewers online on the first day.

By Lim Jang-won (ljw@heraldcorp.com)