New York Comic Con 2026 brings $340,000 to Korean games

The Korean pavilion at New York Comic Con 2026 closed with encouraging numbers: around 8,000 visitors, 43 business meetings, and $340,000 in potential deals. The Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) organized the space together with the country's Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, bringing four small studios looking to break into North America.

The event took place from October 8 to 11 at the Javits Center in New York. This year the convention celebrated its 20th anniversary, and it's no longer just about comics: video games, series, and characters are gaining more and more weight in its halls.

Panoramic view of the Korean pavilion at New York Comic Con 2026.gamemeca.com

The studios that traveled with KOCCA were Team Tetrapod, SoulX, Hypercent, and TakeOne Company. Each brought playable demos, merchandise, and activities so attendees could try out their projects in the pavilion.

Four studios, four different bets

Team Tetrapod set up an experience space for Staffer Series and Staffer Retro. SoulX presented Hero PANGPANG, an experiential game that leverages extended reality technology. Hypercent made demos and products from Backroom Cleaners and Backroom Company—their two third-person shooters—available to attendees.

TakeOne Company, for its part, showcased ENHYPEN WORLD, the mobile game based on the intellectual property of the group ENHYPEN. It was the pavilion's most general-audience-oriented proposal, and also the one that generated the most conversation among those looking for licenses with an already-built fan base.

KOCCA's work wasn't limited to booking the space. On October 7, one day before the convention opened, it organized a round of meetings with international buyers at the Korean Cultural Center New York. During the event days, the pavilion team also managed follow-up meetings with local companies that approached the booths.

KOCCA's plan for North America

After the event closed, the participating studios met with the agency to share impressions about the public's response and the negotiation results. The idea is to adjust the support strategy for these teams' international expansion, since they usually have fewer resources than large Korean companies to navigate markets like the U.S. on their own.

Lee Yang-hwan, director of KOCCA's New York Business Center, said this year's participation confirmed that the content and IP of small Korean studios are competitive enough for the North American market. He also said the agency will continue with local promotion, buyer matchmaking, and the search for distribution channels so these companies can turn interest into closed deals.

The $340,000 figure corresponds to negotiations started during the convention, not signed contracts. Still, for studios of this size, it's a clear signal: there's room for Korean projects beyond the big names we already know. We'll have to see which of these games end up reaching the West with official distribution.