KRAFTON has positioned India not as a mere consumer market, but as a core strategic base for the company’s long-term growth, unveiling its 2026 business strategy along with concrete investment plans. In tandem, it will significantly step up investment into local technology companies and the startup ecosystem through the creation of a fund worth up to 1 trillion won.

On the 26th, KRAFTON’s India subsidiary, KRAFTON India, emphasized that “India is a country that plays a decisive role in shaping KRAFTON’s product strategy and long-term growth roadmap,” and disclosed its key business direction for 2026. This announcement came shortly after Indian Ambassador to Korea Gourangalal Das visited KRAFTON’s Seoul headquarters on the 23rd to discuss technology cooperation with Board Chairman Jang Byung-kyu—signaling KRAFTON’s aggressive push into the Indian market.

According to the announcement, KRAFTON will place its 2026 India business strategy’s central emphasis on “depth” rather than “speed.” To that end, the company plans to strengthen locally rooted narratives by focusing on nurturing Indian game studios and discovering local intellectual property (IP) through the KRAFTON India Gaming Incubator (KIGI). It will also go beyond simply providing game services by participating in India-focused funds to support growth-stage tech companies and community platforms, investing in technological and talent innovation.

KRAFTON India cited the structural transformation it has witnessed in India’s gaming market over the past several years as the backdrop for this strategy. India’s gamer population has surpassed 500 million, and gaming has moved beyond being a simple leisure activity to become mainstream culture—and a competitive industry. In particular, the success of Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) was described as an important lens for understanding Indian users’ behavior patterns and community energy.

The company has already introduced a structured esports calendar in 2025—anchored by events such as the Battlegrounds Mobile India Pro Series (BMPS) and the Battlegrounds Mobile India Series (BGIS)—and strengthened the ecosystem’s foundation by attracting international tournaments. KRAFTON India leadership, including Minu Lee and Anuj Sahani, reaffirmed that India ranks among the world’s top-tier markets in terms of user base, revenue potential, and cultural relevance. They also stated that, within the local regulatory environment, they will build an engagement model that balances entertainment and community, competition and creator expression.

This business strategy is also translating into concrete financial investments. During Ambassador Gourangalal Das’s visit to KRAFTON headquarters on the 23rd, substantive investment discussions took place centered on the “Krafton–Naver–Mirae Asset Unicorn Growth Fund.”

Those in attendance included Ambassador Das; Deputy Chief of Mission Nishi Kant Singh; KRAFTON Board Chairman Jang Byung-kyu; and Kim Nak-hyung, Business Director for KRAFTON India and Emerging Markets. Participants discussed private-sector cooperation in key technology areas such as artificial intelligence (AI) and digital entertainment. In particular, the Unicorn Growth Fund—at the heart of the discussions—is an Asia-focused fund of up to 1 trillion won to be formed jointly by major Korean companies, and KRAFTON plans to expand its investments in promising Indian technology companies through this vehicle.

Ambassador Das noted that India is growing into a key hub of global technological innovation, and expressed expectations that long-term investment and cooperation by Korean companies—including KRAFTON—will play an important role in helping Indian startups make the leap onto the global stage.

Chairman Jang Byung-kyu defined India not as a simple source of overseas revenue, but as a strategic partner country. “Building on the trust and foothold we have established locally through BGMI, we will use the Unicorn Growth Fund to expand collaboration with promising Indian companies across diverse industrial domains beyond gaming,” Jang said.

Going forward, KRAFTON plans to continue investing in major technology companies with India at the center through the Unicorn Growth Fund, while steadily seeking opportunities for collaboration that connects technology and industry within the local market.

This article was translated from the original that appeared on INVEN.