After Gaining a Foothold in India, Krafton Sets Sights on Ecosystem Expansion, Broadening Esports Reach

PUBG Esports Overhaul Elevates India to a "Standalone Independent Region"
University Tour Doubled in Size; India to Host Its First PC Tournament
Continued Fund and Direct Investments to Identify and Develop Startups

Since entering the Indian market, Krafton has been working to build the local information technology (IT) and cultural ecosystem while expanding the reach of esports. The company is substantially increasing infrastructure to identify promising amateur players and holding a series of global tournaments, helping lay the foundations for the local game industry.

PUBG Mobile. Provided by Krafton.

According to the game industry on Oct. 29, Krafton overhauled its PUBG global esports structure and elevated India to a “standalone independent region.” As a result, starting next year, India will secure its own seed that provides direct entry to global tournaments. The move effectively recognizes India as a key hub for global esports.

Local infrastructure is also expanding to match this elevated status. Krafton’s Indian subsidiary launched a new season of its “India Esports University Campus Tour” this month. Aimed at discovering amateur players and strengthening its user base among young people, the program will visit 256 universities across India, double the 128 covered in the previous season. The tour began with its first event at the Indian Institute of Technology on Oct. 10 and will run for about five months, through March next year. The company plans to build a pipeline for amateur college players to advance to the professional level.

International esports tournaments at the professional level are also in the works. The finals of the national-team tournament “BGMI International Cup 2026,” hosted by Krafton’s Indian subsidiary, will be held in Mumbai, India, from Oct. 30 to Nov. 1. A total of 16 teams will compete for the title: six local Indian professional teams, five South Korean teams that qualified through events including the PUBG Mobile Pro Series (PMPS), and five Japanese teams. Krafton also recently announced the “PUBG India Cup 2026,” the country’s first local PC tournament, as part of its efforts to expand beyond the mobile-focused market and into PC gaming.

Last month, the company also launched Battlin, a mobile esports tournament app that allows local game users to organize and participate in tournaments. Krafton plans to continue building a long-term network of esports partners to strengthen the expansion of the gaming ecosystem in India.

Krafton is investing capital to build the local ecosystem through funds and direct investments. Together with Naver and Mirae Asset, it established the Unicorn Growth Fund, worth up to 1 trillion won, and committed 200 billion won to support high-growth local technology startups in fields such as artificial intelligence (AI), fintech and content. The company plans to invest an additional $250 million over the next three to four years.

Krafton has also invested directly in more than 18 local startups. Major investments include 25.5 billion won in NODWIN Gaming, India’s largest esports company; 20 billion won in Nautilus Mobile, a local cricket game developer; 51.5 billion won in Pratilipi, India’s largest web fiction platform; and 23.9 billion won in Series B funding for audiobook platform Kuku FM, among others. Krafton also operates the Krafton India Gaming Incubator (KIGI) program on an ongoing basis to identify local game startups and provide separate development grants.

“The number of creators in India developing games for users around the world is growing rapidly,” said Son Hyun-il, head of Krafton’s Indian subsidiary. “By providing support tailored to each stage of development, Krafton will contribute to establishing India as a global hub for game creation.”

Krafton Chairman Chang Byunggyu (left) and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi pose for a commemorative photo after their meeting in New Delhi, India, on the 4th (local time). Courtesy of Krafton.

Krafton entered India in 2020 with China’s Tencent as its publishing partner, but faced difficulties after its Battlegrounds Mobile India service was forced out of the market in the wake of border tensions between India and China. Krafton subsequently established its own Indian subsidiary and pursued an independent return, successfully establishing BGMI in the market. The game has accumulated 260 million downloads, and its number of paying users rose 17% year over year in the first quarter of this year, putting it on a path to full-scale monetization.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.