Game Days 2026 Bridges Console Development Experience and Creative Passion

Attendees at the Global Track of Console Game Developers Conference 2026 ©INVEN

The Console Game Developers Conference 2026, a platform for sharing global console game narrative, development, and market entry experiences, was held on November 9 at the SKY31 Convention in Lotte World Tower, Seoul. Hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) and the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA), the event featured development insights shared through lectures and panel discussions by creators of ‘The Witcher’, ‘Cyberpunk’, ‘Danganronpa’, ‘RimWorld’, ‘Stellar Blade’, and ‘Tekken’.

Returning for its second edition after debuting last year, the conference served as the opening program of ‘Game Days 2026,’ running from November 9 to 10. The event featured a Global Track for overseas developers to share their production experience and a Deep Dive Track offering practical information to Korean developers preparing to enter the console market, along with a lounge area featuring game exhibitions and hands-on trial spaces.

Strong interest was evident right from pre-registration. Organizers announced that registration closed early as all available seats were booked, and the Global Track hall was filled with developers and industry professionals.

To Protect Passion, We Must Also Protect Developers

KOCCA President Kim Yun-ji’s welcome address and Paweł Sasko’s call for sustainable development

KOCCA President Kim Yun-ji delivering the welcome address ©INVEN

In her welcome address, KOCCA President Kim Yun-ji stated that the event aimed to connect achievements and knowledge accumulated across various domains into a unified stream called ‘Game Days’. Describing games as a comprehensive art form connecting people and creating new worldviews, as well as an integration of cutting-edge technology, she highlighted the significance of an event that shares experiences across platforms and genres.

President Kim remarked, “I hope this event serves as a learning opportunity for working developers to gain practical insights, a stepping stone for indie creators to leap forward, and a festival where industry stakeholders and players can inspire one another.”

Delivering a congratulatory message on behalf of overseas speakers, Paweł Sasko, Associate Game Director at CD Projekt Red, recalled his childhood passion for games and creation. He addressed industry realities such as layoffs and project cancellations, emphasizing the need to balance creating engaging experiences for players with fostering an environment where development teams can work sustainably.

Sasko warned against team burnout, noting, “To keep the spark alive, you must not burn the person holding the torch.” He urged development leaders to provide a vision and direction for team success while improving workflows and production processes to enable sustainable development.

From Quests to Polishing and Long-Standing IPs

Production choices explored across five Global Track lectures

The five developers on the Global Track. From left: Tynan Sylvester, Paweł Sasko, Kazutaka Kodaka, Katsuhiro Harada, and DongKi Lee ©INVEN

The Global Track kicked off with Sasko’s presentation, ‘Anatomy of Unforgettable Quests in The Witcher and Cyberpunk Games’. He stressed the importance of deciding the emotion and purpose intended for the player prior to writing the narrative. Using examples such as distinguishing between understanding and forgiving the Bloody Baron in ‘The Witcher 3’ and infusing narrative meaning into familiar controls, he illustrated how dialogue, action, space, and staging should all be designed toward a single goal.

The second session was presented by Kazutaka Kodaka, CEO and Game Designer of Too Kyo Games, known for creating the ‘Danganronpa’ series. Titled ‘How Are Games That Make Narrative Itself into Gameplay Created?’ in the official program, the lecture addressed the relationship between story and gameplay mechanics.

Tynan Sylvester, Founder and Game Designer of Ludeon Studios, presented ‘Design and Development Principles Behind RimWorld’s Success — Focus and Prioritization for Small Teams’. Describing game design not as building from a fixed blueprint but as an invention process to find new answers, he reflected on reaching the final product on the seventh attempt after six prototypes. His core message emphasized testing whether ideas work at low cost and following experimental results rather than initial plans or emotional attachment.

DongKi Lee, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Shift Up, shared user research and polishing processes in ‘Polished Over Time — A Record of Late-Stage Development Behind Stellar Blade’s Quality’. Citing an instance where satisfaction for a boss fight improved from 4.85 to 8.6 out of 10, he explained that once core gameplay is functional, teams must test early, fix issues, and re-verify repeatedly. He also underscored that user testing is not a shortcut for deciding solutions, but rather empirical evidence showing where players actually encounter friction.

Katsuhiro Harada, CEO and Game Director of VS Studio, reflected on the long-term longevity of ‘Tekken’ in his talk, ‘How a Global IP Is Loved for Over 30 Years’. He stated that beyond gameplay and creativity, developers must understand their game’s market positioning, citing arcade board pricing managed by the dev team, Sony’s European distribution network, console-exclusive content value, and community engagement built up from small fan tournaments.

Developer Dialogue and Hands-On Experiences

Six-member panel discussion, platform entry guides, and lounge exhibitions

The Global Track concluded with a panel discussion titled ‘Globally Successful Console Games: Honest Stories from Their Developers’. Moderated by Shuhei Yoshida, Founder of Yosp and Advisor for Indie Publishers and Developers, the five speakers shared insights on multiplatform design standards, performance constraints, optimization, and player preferences.

Harada and Sasko explained why console guidelines and hardware constraints serve as baseline design criteria, while Sylvester discussed remaking the UI for ‘RimWorld’ on consoles to accommodate TV viewing distances and controller inputs. The conversation also touched on physical packaging deadlines, day-one patches, and deciding what core elements to preserve when porting to handheld devices.

In a separate interview with Inven prior to the panel, Yoshida highlighted the importance of early English localization, recalling an instance at BIC where he could not fully enjoy a trial build that only supported Korean. He also called for proper controller support accounting for global player preferences and advised on how to effectively present strong gameplay to overseas publishers and media.

The separate Deep Dive Track hosted practical sessions covering platform onboarding procedures. The PlayStation session detailed partner registration and technical release requirement reviews, designated for participants who completed final approvals and NDAs. The public Xbox session covered market entry, release strategy, certification, and setting up development environments.

Outside the main hall, the lounge featured a two-day showcase including the ‘K-Console Game Experience Zone,’ ‘Xbox Experience Zone,’ ‘GIGDC Experience Zone,’ and the ‘2026 Game of the Year Exhibition.’ Attendees could play representative console titles from domestic indie studios, award-winning games from the Global Indie Game Design Contest, and flagship titles honored as Games of the Year.

The schedule for day two on November 10 includes the Game of the Year Awards, Global Indie Game Design Contest Awards, Serious Games Forum, and the Game Development AI Transformation Results Sharing Session. ‘Game Days 2026’ combined console production insights on day one with awards spotlighting creative achievements and programs addressing industry technological shifts across the two-day event.

Event Summary & TalksFrom Opening to Panel Discussions and Yoshida Interview

Developer LecturesProduction Know-How on Quests, Experimentation, Polishing, and Long-Standing IPs

Originally written in Korean, this article was translated with AI assistance and edited by a native English-speaking editor. Every translation is reviewed by our editorial team before publication.
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