Krafton to invest another $250M in India, diversifying beyond gaming
What's the story
Krafton, the South Korean gaming giant behind popular titles like PUBG and Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI), has announced plans to invest an additional $250 million in India over the next three to four years. The investment is part of the company's strategy to expand its operations beyond gaming into areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and deep tech.
Investment breakdown
Total investment surpasses $500 million
With this new commitment, Krafton's total planned investment in India has now exceeded $500 million. This includes over $250 million that the company had already invested since 2021.
The latest pledge is also separate from the $670 million India-focused growth fund Krafton announced with South Korean internet giant Naver and investor Mirae Asset in December 2025.
Market potential
Over 700 million smartphone users in India
India has emerged as a crucial market for Krafton, giving the gaming publisher access to over a billion internet subscribers and more than 700 million smartphone users.
The company initially focused on gaming in India with BGMI, a rebranded and localized version of PUBG that has crossed over 260 million downloads.
In recent years, it has also invested in Indian start-ups to diversify its business beyond games.
Business evolution
Krafton's journey in India
Krafton's journey in India has been a mix of challenges and growth.
The Indian government banned PUBG Mobile in 2020 amid rising tensions between New Delhi and Beijing.
In response, Krafton launched BGMI in 2021 after severing ties with Tencent Games as the game's publisher in India and migrating its servers to Microsoft's Azure cloud.
Despite these hurdles, Krafton continued to invest in India, backing around 18 companies including four to five gaming studios.
Expansion strategy
What's next for Krafton?
Krafton plans to launch BGMI Lite in India by the end of 2026.
The company's chairman Chang Byung-gyu met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier on Friday to discuss collaboration opportunities between India and South Korea in gaming, technology, and other emerging sectors.
Last year, Krafton acquired Pune-based Nautilus Mobile, the studio behind the Real Cricket franchise.
It also launched KIGI Academy, an industry-academia program for training talent in game development and digital creation.