From PC Bangs to Global Blockbusters: GeForce's 25 Year Journey in Korea
Korea is the birthplace of Esports and PC-bang culture, as well as a powerhouse in developing global AAA-game titles. Korea’s gaming ecosystem—including OEMs, PC bangs, system builders, and game developers—play a crucial role in the global gaming market.
“Gamers in Korea have always been at the forefront of what’s next,” said Matt Wuebbling, vice president of GeForce Marketing. ”Bringing the first-ever GeForce Gamer Festival to Seoul lets us honor decades of achievement while inspiring the next generation of gamers and creators.”
The GeForce 256, the world’s first GPU, became widely available in Korea in 2000 and, since then, gamers have bought over 50 million GeForce GPUs over the past 25 years. The PC Bang boom also began in Korea, making gaming social and has spread to Gaming Cafes throughout the world. Gaming is now a large and globally influential part of Korean culture like K-Pop, K-Drama, and Fashion.
An Internationally Recognized Line-Up
The festival has a packed lineup, including the latest game showcases and live K-POP performances. Attendees will get an exclusive hands-on with unreleased games including AION 2, and CINDER CITY from NCSOFT.
AION 2 is a next-generation MMORPG and will launch first in Korea and Taiwan on November 19, followed by a global release later this year.
Meanwhile, CINDER CITY is an open-world, cinematic tactical shooter set in a post-apocalyptic near-future Seoul scheduled for release in 2026. Both titles will have day-one support for DLSS 4 with Multi Frame Generation.
KRAFTON will announce an early 2026 user test event for PUBG Ally, an AI co-playable character powered by NVIDIA ACE, for its global hit title PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS. This marks a significant step in exploring how AI can enhance immersive and interactive gameplay experiences alongside a human player in an on-device SLM (Small Language Model).
A special StarCraft match between legendary pro gamers Hong Jin-ho (YellOw) and Lee Yoon-yeol (NaDa) will be a marquee moment for fans. Also, performances by the renowned taekwondo group K-TIGERS and internationally sensational K-POP girl group LE SSERAFIM will create unforgettable moments for attendees.
Attendees on-site will also have the chance to win exclusive prizes, including the grand prize, a GeForce RTX 5090 Founders Edition signed by NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang.
Get Hands-On with GeForce RTX Technology from Partners at the GeForce Experience Zone
NVIDIA is highlighting the passion of Korean gamers, industry innovation, and celebrating collaboration with local partners from the past 25 years. Partners at the show will include ASUS, Colorful, GIGABYTE, MSI, Palit, and PCPartner.
At the GeForce Experience Zone, visitors can explore partner booths and demo stations to experience the latest GeForce RTX technologies that revolutionize the ways we play and create.
The GeForce Gamer Festival is livestreamed globally on Twitch and on Chzzk on Thursday, October 30, 2025 from 7:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m KST