Goyang Maps Out Long-Term Esports and Gaming Strategy

GOYANG — Goyang, a city in Gyeonggi Province, is drawing up a long-term development strategy for esports and gaming, positioning the sector as a new growth engine in future content industries. Rather than focusing on outward expansion through large dedicated arenas, the city aims to build a substantive industrial ecosystem tied to existing local infrastructure.

The city said on the 6th that it is launching a research project titled "Establishment of a Basic Plan and Feasibility Study for Promoting Esports and Fostering the Game Industry in Goyang," worth a combined 80 million won, funded by 50 million won in central government policy research money from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and 30 million won from the city budget. The study will begin in the second half of this year and run for about eight months, with a five-year Goyang-specific basic plan covering 2027 through 2031 to be finalized in the first half of next year.

The research is being carried out using central government funding secured during deliberations on the 2026 state budget. The money was originally intended to assess the feasibility of building a small arena and a dedicated practice center, but the city broadened the scope beyond facility reviews into a comprehensive medium- to long-term plan covering the esports and gaming industries as a whole.

The city is particularly wary of the fiscal burden that could come with building an arena beyond its means. Instead of large-scale new construction, it plans to rigorously verify actual demand and the sustainability of operations. It will compare and analyze a range of alternatives — including the use of existing public facilities, the creation of small dedicated spaces, and partnerships with private venues — before settling on the most suitable approach to infrastructure.

The city is also looking for synergies with its established industrial infrastructure. The strategy is to create a belt spanning tournament hosting, content production, startup support and corporate assistance by linking existing hubs such as KINTEX, which can host large-scale exhibitions, and an intellectual property convergence content cluster with a total floor area of 5,198 square meters set to open in 2028 in Daehwa-dong, Ilsanseo-gu.

"Esports is a convergence industry that generates high added value by combining gaming, media and tourism," Goyang Mayor Min Kyung-sun said. "We will closely analyze actual demand on the ground and complete a sustainable development model suited to Goyang's circumstances."