G-CON 2026 will bring Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami, Shift Up CEO Kim Hyung-tae and Hades creative director Greg Kasavin to BEXCO Convention Hall in Busan on 19 and 20 November 2026. The conference is part of G-STAR’s industry programming and will focus on how games communicate through more than traditional story and dialogue.
The G-STAR Organising Committee said this year’s theme will examine the contribution of worldbuilding, characters, art, music, game systems and player choices to a game’s narrative. The schedule gives the conference a broad industry focus, covering creative direction, action-game design, open-world development and the use of AI in game production.
Day 1 opens with a development keynote
Mikami and Kim will deliver the opening-day keynote, titled “A Conversation on Making Games in 2027.” Their discussion will cover narrative in combat-driven games, visual storytelling and their views on developing games as AI becomes more involved in the industry. Kim Mu-gyeom of the gaming channel Middle-aged Gamer Kim will moderate the session.
The first day will also feature a panel on how unfamiliar game worlds can become personal experiences for players. Kasavin will appear alongside Darren Korb, Hades audio director; David Mervik, narrative director for Little Nightmares and Reanimal; and Karrie Shao, narrative designer for Pacific Drive.
- CD Projekt Red’s Marcin Blacha and Philipp Weber will discuss the narrative foundations of The Witcher series.
- Pearl Abyss will present its approach to building Crimson Desert’s open world with an in-house engine.
- Capcom’s Pragmata director Cho Yong-hee will speak about creating memorable characters.
- Koei Tecmo’s Team Ninja producers Kohei Shibata and Masakazu Hirayama will discuss the development of hardcore action RPGs.
Final Fantasy VII leads the second-day program
Day 2 will include a Square Enix keynote on the legacy of Final Fantasy VII, followed by sessions addressing game art, worldbuilding and player choice. The program is aimed at industry attendees and developers, but its topics also connect with the games reaching players across the Philippines and Southeast Asia, where major Japanese, Korean and Western releases form a significant part of the market.
G-CON 2026 will additionally introduce Salon de G, a new program designed to give speakers and attendees a setting for direct conversations. The conference schedule places these discussions alongside presentations from studios and creators working on internationally recognized games, giving the Busan event a regional venue for examining how games are written, designed and produced.
G-CON 2026 is scheduled for 19–20 November 2026 at BEXCO Convention Hall in Busan. The announcement outlines the conference lineup and venue, but does not state any Philippine or Southeast Asian livestream, local ticketing arrangement or regional access plan.
