Pearl Abyss announced the five-year achievements of BIGEM, a global marketing support project that helps domestic indie games expand overseas, leading 44 companies onto the global stage and taking the lead in expanding the gaming ecosystem.
Pearl Abyss disclosed detailed metrics and achievements as the BIGEM (BIC Indie Global Expansion Marketing) initiative, operated to support promising domestic indie games in expanding globally, reached its fifth anniversary. Over the past four years, a total of 44 indie game developers have stepped into overseas markets through this project, and Pearl Abyss plans to further expand a sustainable gaming ecosystem by providing additional support to 12 newly selected companies for its fifth cohort this year.
Since 2022, Pearl Abyss has jointly run this project in collaboration with the Game Culture Foundation, the Busan IT Industry Promotion Agency, and the Busan Indie Connect Festival (BIC) Organizing Committee. For developers selected for their outstanding titles, the initiative provides comprehensive support across the entire process, including booth operation at overseas game shows, flight and lodging expense support, local marketing promotions, and networking with overseas buyers and investors. Through this, developers have directly verified global player responses and forged paths for overseas expansion.
Specifically, starting with the first cohort in 2022 through the fourth cohort last year, 44 game companies participated in major overseas game shows such as Japan's BitSummit and Gamescom Asia, earning a high score of 4.85 out of 5 in participant satisfaction surveys. Tangible business results were also remarkable. Following participation in the program, companies achieved 30 instances of Steam wishlist growth and 20 instances of exposure across overseas media and influencers. In addition, impressive business milestones and metrics were recorded, including 19 follow-up meetings with publishers and platforms, 9 publishing agreements and collaboration discussions, and 9 investment meetings.
The awards record of the showcased titles is also notable. In the Indie Game category at the Korea Game Awards, participants won for three consecutive years, starting with The Devil Within: Satgat in 2023, Terminus: Zombie Survivors in 2024, and Shape of Dreams in 2025. On the global stage at Gamescom Asia, titles were also honored with awards for three consecutive years: Light Odyssey in 2023, Nientum - Op.ZERO in 2024, and BLACKOUT: Zero Point in 2025.
This year, Pearl Abyss, together with 12 newly selected fifth-cohort participants, will attend Japan's BitSummit, Gamescom Asia, and the Thailand Game Show to meet players and buyers from around the world and seek new market opportunities. Moving forward, Pearl Abyss plans to continuously discover and support indie games with high growth potential, expanding the diversity of the Korean gaming industry and contributing to a healthy ecosystem.
