Nexon announced on the 2nd that it will host its game development knowledge-sharing event, the 'Nexon Developers Conference (NDC 26),' starting on the 16th.

This year's event will open with a welcome address by Lee Jung-hun, CEO of Nexon Japan, and will cover a wide range of development topics, including game design, programming, visual art, sound, and production. Trends and global case studies in artificial intelligence (AI), intellectual property (IP), and blockchain will also be presented.

A key feature of this year's event is the introduction of eight panel sessions in an expert discussion format. In the session titled 'Developing Different Games Simultaneously,' Nexon Games CEO Park Yong-hyun will share his leadership insights on managing new projects. In the 'Making the Game I Wanted to Play' session, Nexon Games PD Kim Yong-ha and Project Moon CEO Kim Ji-hoon will share their planning expertise, while 'RimWorld' creator Tynan Sylvester will give a presentation on the interaction between game worlds and players.

Panel discussions on AI and data will also be held. Love & Fury CTO Kim Tae-hoon and Nexon Director Lee Yong-wook will discuss organizational growth, while Nexon Director Kang Deok-won and KRAFTON VP Lim Gyeong-young will share their respective companies' AI transformation processes and achievements. Nexon Directors Ryu Cheong-hun and Bae Jun-young, along with Snowflake Korea General Manager Lim Jin-sik, will cover case studies on data-driven decision-making. Additionally, sessions featuring sound experts from NeoPle, Nexon Games, and Nexon Korea, as well as a session with Nexon Director Chae Jung-won and YouTuber Kim Sung-hoe, have been organized.

Of the 51 total sessions this year, 15 are focused on AI-related topics. Embark Studios, the developer of 'ARC Raiders,' will share the process and results of applying machine learning to actual game development. Other sessions will cover case studies on using generative AI for everything from world-building to scenario writing, as well as the development story behind integrating natural language AI agents into game data analysis platforms.

Ryu Eun-young, Head of Nexon's Talent Strategy Division, said, "This year's NDC is an opportunity to hear firsthand from practitioners about how the AI trend is being integrated into the forefront of game development," adding, "We have specifically curated a wide range of expert panel sessions to ensure attendees gain deep, meaningful insights."