KRAFTON Looks To Incubate 6-10 Indian Gaming Startups

Game developing major KRAFTON has launched an incubator programme — KRAFTON India Gaming Incubator (KIGI) to boost India’s fast-growing gaming ecosystem. 

Set for a duration of 6 months to a year, the programme will support roughly 6-10 startups every year. It will also offer financial support of $50K and $150K to selected startups. 

Meant to support early-stage startups (even at the idea stage), the gaming giant will also offer guidance, mentorship and access to KRAFTON’s resources including data analytics and market research, etc. to the selected startups.

For this programme, KRAFTON will select startups that are open for mentorship and partnership with KRAFTON, and interested in future funding opportunities and investments. However, it will not be considering the gambling and real money gaming-focused startups.

Commenting on the initiative, KRAFTON India’s CEO Sean Hyunil said, “Through the program, we hope to further develop the country’s capabilities in game development. We are excited to nurture the next generation of gaming talent in the country as well as mentor them in line with the government’s ambition of skilling the Indian workforce and increasing employability.”

The selected participants in KIGI will be mentored by renowned gaming industry executives, game builders and industry experts from South Korea and India. 

PUBG Studios’ creative director Dave Curd and KRAFTON’s game producer Harns Kim will be members of the mentoring and guidance teams at KIGI.

Head of KIGI, Anuj Sahani said, “Our program is designed to provide aspiring developers, designers, and creators with the resources and mentorship they need to bring their ideas to life. Aligned with the Indian government’s vision of boosting the startup ecosystem, we are enthusiastic about witnessing the emergence of groundbreaking ideas and games from the program.”

At the conclusion of the programme, the startups may also be offered to get their products published, garner venture capital funding from external investors, as well as receive equity investment from KRAFTON.

Founded in 2007, the South Korean gaming major KRAFTON consists of PUBG STUDIOS, Bluehole Studio, RisingWings, Striking Distance Studios, Dreamotion, Unknown Worlds, 5minlab, Neon Giant, KRAFTON Montréal Studio and ReLU Games. 

The company said that it aims to boost the gaming startups in India, and so far has invested over $140 Mn in several such Indian startups. 

Recently, the company received full approval from the Centre to operate its battle royale game Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) in India, following a three-month-long audit process.