G-Star 2013 officially ended yesterday in Busan, South Korea after 4 days of games and more games. With the online gaming industry facing immense pressure from its government, this might even be the final time we will be seeing a G-Star event.
Let us get down to some official estimated numbers first. It was reported that the total number of visitors stood at 188,707, the lowest attendance recorded ever for G-Star. There were several reasons fielded, with the ongoing university entrance exams 1 of them.
No matter, I am slightly neutral about this year’s show, although I am disheartened that not even 1 brand new core game was revealed. The minor surprises such as Tree of Savior really helped save the whole show, although the details were revealed online rather than a physical booth.
Other games which definitely made an impact includes Peria Chronicles, Black Desert and Kingdom Under Fire II. Other companies chose to focus on mobile games, something which worries me a little since I am more of a core games person.
It was also reported and confirmed that the amount of money involved in contract signings and partnerships over at the business halls broke a new record. There were 2 to 3 times more booths there compared to the public hall, hence the number wasn’t really surprising.
G-Star 2013 was not a failure, but neither was it a resounding success compared to last year’s edition, purely from a gamer’s point of view. I can see G-Star 2014 being a better one in terms of games, and hopefully some brand new titles will be making their debuts then..
