Krafton Strengthens Commitment to India with Additional $250M Investment Beyond Gaming

Krafton, the South Korean gaming firm known for popular titles like PUBG and Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI), intends to invest an additional $250 million in India over the next three to four years as it expands its focus beyond gaming into areas such as AI, robotics, and deep technology.

The new investment was announced on Friday and will raise Krafton’s total planned investment in India to over $500 million. This includes the more than $250 million the company has already injected into the nation since 2021. Additionally, this funding is separate from Krafton’s commitment to a $670 million growth fund aimed at India, which it created alongside South Korean internet giant Naver and investor Mirae Asset in December 2025. At that time, Krafton indicated it would contribute approximately $137 million at the fund’s initial closing. The recent $250 million commitment stands apart from this growth fund, as confirmed to TechCrunch by the company.

India has emerged as a vital market for Krafton, providing access to the world’s largest population with over a billion internet users and more than 700 million smartphone owners. Initially, Krafton built its business in India around gaming, primarily through BGMI, a modified and localized version of PUBG that has achieved over 260 million downloads. In recent years, the company has shifted its focus to investments in Indian startups, enabling it to diversify beyond the gaming sector.

Krafton’s journey in India has experienced its challenges. In 2020, the Indian government banned PUBG Mobile, along with numerous other apps linked to China, amid rising tensions between New Delhi and Beijing. In response, Krafton launched BGMI in 2021, eliminating Tencent Games as the game’s publisher in India and relocating its India servers to Microsoft’s Azure cloud to alleviate regulatory concerns.

However, BGMI faced its own ban in India in 2022, with the federal government permitting its return on a trial basis for three months the following year. Since then, Krafton has focused on expanding the franchise, with plans to introduce BGMI Lite in India by the end of 2026.

Despite the initial hurdles, Krafton has continued its investment efforts in India, backing around 18 companies, including four to five gaming studios, as confirmed to TechCrunch. Its portfolio includes investments in Nodwin Gaming, Loco, Pratilipi, Kuku FM, and One Impression, among others.

This latest investment pledge follows a meeting between Krafton chairman Chang Byung-gyu and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi earlier on Friday. The discussions centered around enhancing collaboration between India and South Korea in the realms of gaming, technology, and other emerging sectors, according to Krafton.

Krafton is also expanding its local presence. Last year, it acquired Pune-based Nautilus Mobile, the studio behind the Real Cricket series. Moreover, it recently launched KIGI Academy, an initiative designed to train talent in game development and digital creation.