Let’s be honest: 2025 was a bruising year for the domestic game industry. We saw developers shutter projects, pull the plug on live services, and brace for the grim reality of restructuring and redundancy notices. It was a perfect storm of sagging profits, bloated corporate structures, and a fundamental loss of direction.

Yet, if you look at the bigger picture, 2024 and 2025 served as a necessary, if painful, foundation-laying period. Now, domestic studios are eyeing a comeback, banking on AI-driven efficiency, AAA ambitions, and a leaner development philosophy. Hoping for a brighter year ahead, Gamemeca has picked two idioms to forecast the industry’s trajectory in 2026.

Geo-an-sa-wi means 'to think of potential danger even in times of peace.' The phrase hails from the Spring and Autumn period, tracing back to the strategist Wei Jiang, who advised that maintaining a vigilant mindset during tranquil times is the only way to sustain prosperity.

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, the global industry enjoyed an unprecedented boom. Venture capital flowed, and countless projects were greenlit. Locally, there was a frantic rush to build 'metaverse' platforms. When the pandemic bubble burst, the industry was given a fleeting window to prepare for a soft landing—a window it largely failed to navigate with any grace.

2025 was a year of soul-searching and catching our collective breath. Mobile-focused developers began dipping their toes into console development, re-evaluating monetization to be more user-friendly, and cutting dead weight through project cancellations and layoffs. Regulatory bodies also stepped in, pushing for bills to tackle predatory monetization and reverse discrimination against overseas competitors, while the transition to private game rating boards and the resolution of the gaming disorder classification helped clear some of the fog.

2026 is the year to build on that foundation. But we must remember the lessons of the past two years. Security breaches, leaked projects, job insecurity, and sudden service terminations—these cannot happen again. The industry needs a more robust internal system and a proactive, rather than reactive, approach to the crises waiting in the wings.

Sil-sa-gu-si means 'seeking truth from facts.' Originally a rebuttal by the Qing dynasty’s school of evidential research against the dogmatic interpretations of Neo-Confucianism, it emphasizes a scientific, objective approach. It’s about cutting through the academic fluff to grasp the essence of reality.

Recently, many developers have declared a pivot toward 'AI.' It’s being used to accelerate content creation, refine NPC animations, and even help concept artists visualize compositions before they put pen to paper. Its utility extends well beyond development into planning, scheduling, and admin tasks.

However, the discourse surrounding AI is sharply divided. While some studios wield it like a silver bullet to slash production costs—sometimes at the expense of human illustrators and developers—other players are deeply skeptical. There is a vocal segment of the audience that is fundamentally against AI, reacting with hostility even if it is only used in the planning phase.

In this climate, we must remember that the core of our business remains 'fun.' Even a game built with the most advanced, high-efficiency AI is worthless if it isn't entertaining. Conversely, mindlessly blocking technological innovation is equally shortsighted. The ultimate question remains: 'What is it that actually makes a game fun for the player?' Let’s hope we don't lose sight of that essence in our rush to embrace the algorithm.