Krafton Chairman Chang Byung-gyu met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Friday, reaffirming the Korean game developer's long-term commitment to India and its rapidly growing gaming and technology industries.

According to Krafton, the meeting highlighted opportunities for India and Korea to deepen cooperation in gaming, innovation and emerging technologies. The meeting comes as India's gaming sector has grown into one of the world's largest by user base, driven largely by mobile gaming, and as the Indian government pushes initiatives to develop the animation, visual effects, gaming and comics (AVGC) sector and promote domestic digital content creation.

Krafton has invested $250 million in India to date and plans to invest an additional $250 million over the next three to four years, bringing its total planned investment in the country to approximately $500 million. The company has also established a $670 million venture growth fund to support investments in India. Krafton is best known for Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI), a localized version of PUBG Mobile that ranks among the country's most-played mobile games, following an earlier period in which the original title was banned in India alongside other Chinese-linked apps.

Krafton said its investments will support the development of India's gaming ecosystem, homegrown intellectual property and startups, while expanding into emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, robotics and deep technology.

"India is a market of immense opportunity, with exceptional talent across gaming, technology and innovation," Chang said. "Our continued investments reflect our long-term confidence in India and our commitment to contributing to its digital economy."

The company also plans to collaborate with Indian creators, developers and entrepreneurs through investment and skills-development initiatives, he added.

Krafton recently launched KIGI Academy, an industry-academia program aimed at developing skills in game development and digital content creation.

The company has also expanded its presence in India through the acquisition of Nautilus Mobile, a Pune-based game studio behind the Real Cricket franchise. According to Krafton, the acquisition is part of its efforts to develop local talent and intellectual property.

Krafton said it aims to contribute to India's efforts to become a global hub for gaming, technology and intellectual-property-driven innovation through continued investment in the country's gaming and startup ecosystems.

Source: The Korea Times