PUBG maker Krafton eyes India as key global growth hub

 

Krafton, the South Korean gaming firm behind PUBG: Battlegrounds, is accelerating its India push as it attempts to gain a larger market share of one of the world's fastest-growing gaming markets. As growth has slowed in mature markets such as China and the United States, the firm has been eyeing India as a crucial pillar of its global expansion drive.

Sean Sohn, Krafton's India head, ratified that the firm is aggressively looking for acquisitions and has promised to invest a minimum of USD 50 million every year in India. "It is difficult to produce a big hit like Battlegrounds again," Sohn said. "But it is our primary challenge to create another hit game."

Key Highlights:

• Krafton commits $50M annual investment in India, positioning the country as a key pillar of its global growth strategy amid slowing demand in China and the U.S
• India’s young demographic and rapid gamer growth, with 444M gamers in 2024 makes it a prime market, though low spending habits pose challenges
• Geopolitical shifts benefit Krafton, as bans on Chinese gaming firms open opportunities; India is now PUBG maker’s fifth-largest global market

India's demography makes it a favorable opportunity. Having 65 percent of its 1.4 billion population under the age of 35, the nation has the world's largest youth population. However, Sohn conceded difficulties persist. "India is a challenging market. People are not that open to playing new games and are not willing to spend much on games," he said. "But they do display strong loyalty after they get to enjoy a game."

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Krafton is also reaping the rewards of geopolitical changes. Prohibitions on Chinese gaming companies because of tensions with India and China have opened up space for growth. PUBG, which was once distributed in India by Tencent, is now Krafton's fifth-largest market worldwide.

While India's gaming market is just a fifth the size of South Korea's Won 20 trillion (USD14.4 billion) market, it is expanding fast. Niko Partners had 444 million Indian gamers in 2024, up 12 percent year on year—securing Krafton's gamble on India as its next growth driver.