Krafton, the South Korean gaming giant behind the immensely popular Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI), is set to significantly expand its footprint in India with an annual investment of at least $50 million (approximately ₹441 crore), as reported by the Financial Times. The company aims to capitalise on the Indian government’s ban on Chinese apps, which has created a favorable environment for Krafton, positioning India as one of its top five global markets.
Sean Sohn, Krafton’s India head, told the Financial Times that the company is actively pursuing acquisitions and investments to bolster its presence in India’s fast-growing gaming market, which saw a 12 percent increase in gamers last year, reaching 444 million, according to market researcher Niko Partners. BGMI, a localized version of PUBG: Battlegrounds launched in 2021 after the ban on its Tencent-published predecessor, has attracted over 200 million users in India, contributing to Krafton’s record global sales of ₩1.5 trillion ($1.1 billion) in the first half of 2025.
India’s gaming market, while still developing and only a fifth the size of South Korea’s ₩20 trillion industry, presents unique challenges. Sohn noted that Indian gamers are price-sensitive and hesitant to embrace new titles, but they exhibit strong loyalty once engaged. Krafton has already invested $200 million in Indian digital content businesses, including a $14 million acquisition of cricket game developer Nautilus Mobile and a $53 million funding round for fintech firm Cashfree Payments, representing 9 percent of its global investments.
The company’s strategy includes developing new hit games to replicate BGMI’s success, a challenge Sohn acknowledged as significant. Krafton’s expansion comes amid a favorable regulatory landscape, with Chinese competitors like Tencent barred from operating in India due to geopolitical tensions. This has solidified Krafton’s advantage in a market driven by a young, tech-savvy population, with 65 percent of India's 1.4 billion people under 35.
