{"id":1920,"date":"2026-09-05T08:33:05","date_gmt":"2026-09-05T08:33:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/2026\/09\/05\/krafton-250m-india-investment-ai-robotics\/"},"modified":"2026-09-05T08:33:05","modified_gmt":"2026-09-05T08:33:05","slug":"krafton-250m-india-investment-ai-robotics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/2026\/09\/05\/krafton-250m-india-investment-ai-robotics\/","title":{"rendered":"Krafton pledges $250\u202fmillion to expand AI and robotics footprint in India"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<!-- Quick Adsense WordPress Plugin: http:\/\/quickadsense.com\/ -->\n<div class=\"9fece8afa224fd09e54b043d0febfb58\" data-index=\"1\" style=\"float: none; margin:10px 0 10px 0; text-align:center;\">\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- NR ATF -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-8898941184964366\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"4839033563\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n<p>Krafton, the South Korean developer best known for PUBG and Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI), disclosed on Friday that it will invest an additional $250\u202fmillion in India over the next three to four years. The new pledge brings the company\u2019s total planned outlay in the country to more than $500\u202fmillion, on top of the roughly $250\u202fmillion it has already deployed since 2021.<\/p>\n<h2>Background to Krafton\u2019s India strategy<\/h2>\n<p>India represents a strategic market for Krafton because of its massive internet user base \u2013 more than a billion subscribers \u2013 and a smartphone penetration exceeding 700\u202fmillion devices. The firm\u2019s Indian operations originally centred on gaming, with BGMI \u2013 a localized version of PUBG \u2013 achieving more than 260\u202fmillion downloads since its launch. The success of BGMI helped Krafton gain a foothold in the world\u2019s most populous nation.<\/p>\n<p>In December 2025, Krafton announced a $670\u202fmillion India\u2011focused growth fund in partnership with South Korean internet group Naver and investor Mirae Asset. At the fund\u2019s first close, Krafton committed approximately $137\u202fmillion. The new $250\u202fmillion commitment is distinct from that growth\u2011fund initiative.<\/p>\n<h2>Regulatory hurdles and market re\u2011entry<\/h2>\n<p>Krafton\u2019s journey in India has faced regulatory setbacks. In 2020, the Indian government banned PUBG Mobile along with hundreds of apps linked to Chinese companies amid heightened New Delhi\u2011Beijing tensions. In response, Krafton introduced BGMI in 2021, dropping Tencent Games as the publisher and moving its Indian servers to Microsoft\u2019s Azure cloud to address security concerns raised by the authorities.<\/p>\n<p>Despite these adjustments, BGMI was banned again in 2022. The ban was lifted later that year on a three\u2011month trial basis, allowing the game to resume operations. Krafton has continued to develop the franchise and plans to launch a lighter version, BGMI Lite, by the end of 2026.<\/p>\n<h2>Broader investment portfolio and local initiatives<\/h2>\n<p>Beyond its flagship game, Krafton has diversified its Indian investments, backing roughly 18 companies to date, including four to five dedicated gaming studios. Notable portfolio companies include Nodwin Gaming, Loco, Pratilipi, Kuku\u202fFM and One Impression.<\/p>\n<p>The firm also expanded its on\u2011ground presence. In the previous year, Krafton acquired Nautilus Mobile, a Pune\u2011based studio known for the Real Cricket franchise. More recently, it launched the KIGI Academy, an industry\u2011academia programme designed to train talent in game development and digital creation.<\/p>\n<p>The latest $250\u202fmillion commitment follows a meeting between Krafton chairman Chang Byung\u2011gyu and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. According to Krafton, the two leaders discussed opportunities for deeper collaboration between India and South Korea across gaming, technology and emerging sectors such as artificial intelligence and robotics.<\/p>\n<p>By earmarking the new funds for AI, robotics and other deep\u2011technology fields, Krafton signals a strategic shift from a pure\u2011play gaming publisher to a broader technology investor in India. The company\u2019s stated intention is to leverage its existing ecosystem \u2013 including its gaming audience, startup investments and talent\u2011development programmes \u2013 to explore synergies in emerging tech domains.<\/p>\n<p>Analysts note that the combined $500\u202fmillion-plus commitment underscores Krafton\u2019s confidence in India\u2019s long\u2011term growth potential, despite the regulatory turbulence the firm experienced in the early 2020s. The partnership with Naver and Mirae Asset, together with the standalone $250\u202fmillion pledge, suggests a multi\u2011pronged approach: direct corporate investment, participation in a larger growth fund, and targeted spending on non\u2011gaming technologies.<\/p>\n<p>While the exact allocation of the new capital remains undisclosed, Krafton has indicated that it will support both internal development \u2013 such as the upcoming BGMI Lite launch \u2013 and external collaborations with Indian startups working on AI, robotics and related deep\u2011tech solutions. The move aligns with broader trends of global gaming companies expanding into adjacent technology sectors to diversify revenue streams and capture new market opportunities.<\/p>\n<p>Overall, Krafton\u2019s expanded financial commitment reflects a deepening of its India strategy, moving beyond a single\u2011game focus to a more diversified technology portfolio. The company\u2019s continued investment in local talent, infrastructure and startups positions it to participate in India\u2019s evolving digital economy, which remains one of the fastest\u2011growing markets for both gaming and emerging technologies.<\/p>\n\n<div style=\"font-size: 0px; height: 0px; line-height: 0px; margin: 0; padding: 0; clear: both;\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>South Korean game maker Krafton will add $250\u202fmillion to its Indian portfolio, taking total planned spending past $500\u202fmillion as it moves beyond gaming into AI and deep\u2011tech.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1921,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[299],"tags":[230,477,216,1598,1952],"class_list":["post-1920","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-ai","tag-gaming","tag-india","tag-investment","tag-krafton","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1920","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1920"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1920\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1921"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1920"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1920"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1920"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}