Krafton has been building up its presence in the Indian market after relaunching PUBG Mobile in the country last year. The company has already invested $100 million in local startups, planning to double that amount this year.
Krafton’s India CEO Sean Hyunil Sohn opened up about the company’s plans in an interview with TechCrunch.
- The PUBG developer made eight investments during the last year and a half, including $22.5 million in esports company Nodwin Gaming and $48 million in digital storytelling platform Pratilipi.
- Sohn said that Krafton plans to close two to three more deals in August, bringing the total investment to $140 million.
- “In 2022, we may invest another $100 million in total or more in the Indian market,” Sohn added. “Although we didn’t set up a fund separately for the Indian market, we are investing from our balance sheet.”
- Krafton is focused on investing in companies that make products in the gaming, gaming-related, media, or entertainment sectors.
The South Korean developer initially pledged to invest $100 million in the Indian games market in 2020, soon after India banned PUBG Mobile along with hundreds of others mobile apps.
Krafton made a few changes to its mobile hit (like changing the blood’s color to green), relaunching it as Battlegrounds Mobile India in June 2021. The game has already surpassed 100 million registered users.