South Korean game company Krafton is expanding its business in India from gaming to AI, robotics, and advanced technology. The company announced that it will invest an additional $250 million in India over the next three to four years, bringing its total planned investment there to over $500 million.
Krafton confirmed with TechCrunch that this new commitment is independent of the Indian Growth Fund they previously participated in setting up. In December 2025, Krafton jointly launched a $670 million growth fund for India with the Korean internet group Naver and Future Asset, stating at that time that they would contribute approximately $137 million during the first round of fundraising.
India has become a core market.
India has become one of the key markets for Krafton. For this gaming company, the vast local base of internet users and smartphone users provides it with continuous room for expansion.
Krafton first established its business in India around gaming, with the core product being Battlegrounds Mobile India, also known as BGMI. This localized version has accumulated over 260 million downloads. In recent years, the company has also begun to extend its business beyond gaming into more technology fields by investing in startups.
Has experienced two regulatory setbacks
In 2020, against the backdrop of tense relations with China, the Indian government banned several applications related to China, including PUBG Mobile. Subsequently, Krafton took over the issuance arrangements in India and launched BGMI in 2021.
In response to concerns from India, Krafton removed Tencent Games' distribution rights in India and migrated the local servers to Microsoft's Azure cloud platform. However, in 2022, BGMI was once again banned until it was permitted to return the following year for a three-month trial run. The company plans to launch BGMI Lite in India by the end of 2026.
Investment scope is no longer limited to games.
Krafton indicates that the company has currently invested in about 18 enterprises in India, including 4 to 5 game studios. The invested projects include Nodwin Gaming, Loco, Pratilipi, Kuku FM, and One Impression, among others.
Before the announcement of this additional investment, Krafton Chairman Zhang Binggui met with Indian Prime Minister Modi in New Delhi earlier in the day. The company stated that both parties discussed opportunities to strengthen cooperation between India and South Korea in gaming, technology, and other emerging industries.
Additional information:Krafton acquired Nautilus Mobile located in Pune last year. This studio developed the Real Cricket series. The company has also recently launched KIGI Academy, which is aimed at training talents in game development and digital creation.
