Source: Smilegate

Smilegate HEEMANGSTUDIO (chaired by Kwon Hyuk-bin), an organization dedicated to spreading hope to future generations, announced on the 14th that 12 partners—including game companies, IT firms, and public institutions—will participate in the '2026 Youth Esports Festival.'

The 2026 Youth Esports Festival is an event designed to help children and adolescents from local community child centers explore career paths in gaming and experience gaming culture. By bringing together companies and institutions from various fields, including gaming and IT, the festival supports children in underserved communities by fostering an interest in games and esports while providing opportunities to experience cooperation and healthy competition.

This year's event features 12 participants, including the Nexon Foundation, Supercell, Kakao Games, the Korea Creative Content Agency, and Amazon Web Services. Each partner contributes its unique expertise and capabilities to support the event through a *collective impact model.

New partners include the Gwangju Information & Culture Industry Promotion Agency and the Busan IT Industry Promotion Agency. These two organizations, along with the existing partner Daejeon Information & Culture Industry Promotion Agency, are providing support in the form of venue rentals and esports operational expertise. The T1 Esports Academy, joining for the first time this year, is providing online esports education programs and career counseling.

The Nexon Foundation and Supercell are providing game IPs for 'Kartrider Rush+' and 'Brawl Stars,' while Kakao Games is offering its experiential CSR content, 'Visiting Friends Game Land.' The Hankook Tire Welfare Foundation is providing a 45-seat 'Tium Bus,' and Amazon Web Services and the Korea Creative Content Agency are supporting the event with souvenirs and operational assistance, respectively. BIGPICTURE Interactive is managing the esports tournament, and the National Association of Local Community Child Centers is handling participant recruitment and management.

Following the launch of the online education program 'Youth Esports School' on May 26, the 'Youth Esports Champions' online qualifiers for 'Kartrider Rush+' and 'Brawl Stars' were held in June. Offline finals are taking place today in Busan and tomorrow in Gwangju, with the All-Star game and the 'Youth Esports Festival' culture event scheduled for August 11 in Daejeon.

For the first time this year, online esports education programs, qualifiers, and offline finals are being held across three regions: Region 1 (Seoul Metropolitan Area/Gangwon-do), Region 2 (Chungcheong-do/Jeolla-do/Jeju-do), and Region 3 (Gyeongsang-do). Approximately 7400 children and adolescents from 256 local community child centers are participating.

A representative from the Nexon Foundation stated, "By expanding the scale of regional tournaments in collaboration with public institutions in Busan and Gwangju this year, we hope more children will have the opportunity to experience esports. We hope that through gaming, children will learn how to collaborate and communicate, helping them grow in a healthy way."

A Supercell representative said, "It is meaningful to work alongside various partners, including game companies, IT firms, and public institutions. We plan to continue providing multifaceted support so that children in underserved communities who are interested in games and esports can pursue their dreams."

Meanwhile, HEEMANGSTUDIO continues to spread hope to future generations and foster a culture of joyful giving through its gamification-based platform, in collaboration with various 'Hope Partners' from the gaming and IP industries.