KRAFTON's 'PUBG: Battlegrounds' is being adapted into a physical card game.

Son Soo-hyun, CEO of Card Monster, announced on social media on the 14th that "KRAFTON and Card Monster have entered into an official partnership to introduce PUBG as a physical card game." Son stated, "Battlegrounds is not just a game; it is one of the most iconic cultural moments in gaming history," adding, "That world is now moving from the screen to the tabletop."

According to Son, the two companies aim to capture the tension of the Battle Royale genre—the thrill of being the 'last one standing'—in a physical card game format. Specific product details will be released at a later date.

Reporting indicates that the project has been developed internally under the working title 'Project Dynamite.'

Card Monster is a Seoul-based tabletop game startup founded in September 2023. CEO Son previously built a career as a game designer and producer at Nexon, PUBG, and KRAFTON. Card Monster has developed board games using Disney IP through a licensing agreement with Walt Disney Korea and has secured early-stage investment from U.S. venture capital firms 500 Global and Mashup Ventures. The company's core business is a game production platform that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to automate card design, balancing, and content expansion.

Since its release on Steam Early Access in March 2017, Battlegrounds has become KRAFTON's flagship IP, surpassing 75 million units sold globally across PC and consoles. KRAFTON has consistently expanded its IP reach beyond gaming, such as the 'Nara Sarang Card PUBG Edition' launched with Shinhan Card and vehicle collaborations with Kia. The move into physical card games is seen as an extension of the strategy to grow Battlegrounds into a cultural IP that transcends its status as a mere game.

The entry of Battlegrounds into the physical card game market aligns with a global trend of game IPs expanding into the TCG market. Riot Games successfully launched 'Riftbound,' a physical TCG based on the 'League of Legends' universe, in North America, Europe, and China last year, with an official Korean release scheduled for September. Riftbound proved the competitiveness of game IP in the physical card market by ranking among the top TCG products in North America in the first quarter of this year.

Card game consumption is no longer limited to competitive play. Recently, the TCG market has been driven by demand for collecting rather than just gameplay. With the resurgence of the Pokémon card craze coinciding with the franchise's 30th anniversary this year, the TCG transaction volume on the trading platform KREAM surged by 5625% from January to April compared to the same period last year.

Trading cards, priced based on scarcity and condition, are increasingly viewed as alternative investment assets rather than simple collectibles. Market research firm Mordor Intelligence projects the global TCG market to reach approximately $15.1 billion (about ₩22 trillion) this year.

In this market environment, physical cards featuring a globally recognized IP like Battlegrounds can function simultaneously as a gaming tool, merchandise, and a collectible. In Korea, the base for offline card culture is also expanding, with TCG specialty stores increasing in major areas such as Hongdae.