Krafton to deepen bet on India's booming gaming market; eyes talent, ecosystem expansion
Empower your mind, elevate your skills
South Korean gaming giant Krafton -- the name behind popular esports title Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) -- sees India as one of its most critical markets, with the country ranking among the top five globally for Krafton's revenue and within the top-three in terms of user numbers.Krafton India CEO Sean (Hyunil) Sohn, in an interview to PTI, underscored the company's long-term commitment to India, emphasising that the company is not just here to launch a handful of games but to invest in the broader gaming ecosystem and nurture local talent."India is within the top five (global markets) in terms of revenue size for Krafton, and in terms of number of users, India is in the top three. So it's one of the major markets for Krafton."Gaming industry in India is one of the fastest growing markets... that excites us quite a bit, and that's why we are here for the very long term. We are not here to launch one or two games, we are here to grow the ecosystem together... we want to develop the talent pool so that we can grow the market, and also make gaming in India, for the global markets," he said.Sohn said he is most excited by the rapid mainstreaming of gaming among India's youth, noting that a surge in new gamers over the past 5-6 years as mobile gaming has taken off.Krafton has already infused over USD 200 million in India since 2021. It has committed an additional USD 200 million to be invested over the next few years."We have been investing in India -- more than USD 200 million now -- we are actually deploying in the same pace... we are seeing (that) lots of Indian users are paying for content on digital platforms, and at the same time we are seeing more innovation in fintech, healthtech and many other areas, so we are actually looking at those new areas at the same time," he said.Earlier this year, Krafton led a USD 53 million (Rs 450 crore) funding round in payments company Cashfree Payments. The company has also invested in audio content platform Kuku FM."We want to build the ecosystem together and also grow with the ecosystem, that's why we don't just invest in gaming or digital contents platform, we want to invest in the ecosystem around it," Sohn noted.He said Krafton is focused on developing India's gaming talent pool.There are ample career opportunities in the gaming sector, he noted, drawing a stark difference between India and mature gaming markets like South Korea, which, despite a much smaller population, boasts over 120,000-140,000 game developers compared to India's estimated 50,000."There is a lot of room to grow and improve... we should give proper education and training for younger generation to start their career," he said.While the company makes its merchandise for its fans, Sohn clarified that the company has no immediate plans to expand into broader commerce.Instead, the focus remains on ecosystem development and supporting the government's evolving understanding of gaming as a legitimate business and career opportunity.Krafton is soon to open its R&D unit in India, and plans to add 15-20 staff to its existing headcount of about 100 (in India).
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India Today
13 minutes ago
- India Today
Gambhir bats for injury replacements in Test cricket, Ben Stokes slams ridiculous idea
England captain Ben Stokes has called out the idea of injury replacements in Test cricket. Speaking at the post-match press conference, Stokes reacted to the question of if someone like Rishabh Pant should be allowed an injury replacement. The all-rounder was vehemently opposed to the idea, stating that teams would find loopholes in the law to get fresh players in whenever there is a slight the Manchester Test match, Rishabh Pant fractured his right toe while batting on Day 1 of the game. Pant was retired hurt on Day 1 but was forced to come out to bat on Day 2 of the game given India's precarious was allowed a replacement for his wicketkeeping duties according to the law. Dhruv Jurel kept the wickets in his absence, just like he had done in the Lord's Test match. However, the Indian team essentially was left with one less batter in the second innings of the match. The Indian team informed that Pant, despite being on crutches, would come out to bat if needed. Fans questioned the laws of the game, asking how a player could bat or field with a broken toe?India head coach Gautam Gambhir supported the argument, batting in favour of injury replacements."Yes - if there's an external injury or serious concern, I fully support having a substitute. Especially in a series like this, if someone's visibly injured, there's nothing wrong with making a change. In a long series like this, you can't be forced to play with just ten players," Gambhir however, was not a fan and called out the suggestion. Stokes said the rule would end up having too many loopholes and would end up being exploited by teams across the board."I think it's absolutely ridiculous that there's a conversation around an injury replacement," Stokes said. "I think that there would just be too many loopholes for teams to be able to go through. You pick your 11 for a game; injuries are part of the game. I completely understand the concussion replacement: player welfare, [and] player safety. But I think the conversation should just honestly stop around injury replacements because if you stick me in an MRI scanner, I could get someone else in straightaway," Stokes said in the post-match press conference."If you stick anyone else with an MRI scanner, a bowler is going to show, 'Oh yeah, you've got a bit of inflammation around your knee. Oh sweet, we can get another fresh bowler in'. I just think that conversation should be shut down and stopped," he India did not need Rishabh Pant to bat in the final innings of the game. Superb hundreds from Shubman Gill, Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja helped India draw the Test match, after fighting for 143 will now travel to London, where the final Test of the series starts on July 31.- Ends
India Today
13 minutes ago
- India Today
VinFast opens first dealership in India ahead of plant inauguration
Electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer VinFast marked a significant milestone in its India journey with the inauguration of its first showroom in Surat, Gujarat. According to the company, the dealership, 'VinFast Surat', is located in Piplod, spanning 3,000 square feet, the outlet is designed to offer immersive experiences for prospective EV buyers, right from exploring VinFast's premium electric SUVs to after-sales the showroom will showcase the company's upcoming models, the VF 6 and VF 7, which opened for pre-booking nationwide on July 15, 2025. Customers can reserve their vehicle at dealerships or via the official website with a fully refundable booking amount of Rs 21,000. VinFast has ambitious plans for India, aiming to launch 35 dealerships across more than 27 cities by the end of the year. The vehicles will be locally assembled at the company's under-construction plant in Thoothukudi, Tamil at the inauguration, Pham Sanh Chau, CEO of VinFast Asia, stated, "The first VinFast Showroom in Surat, Gujarat is a symbol of our deep commitment to India. We are excited to bring the VinFast experience closer to Indian consumers. With this dealership in Gujarat, we aim to offer not just electric vehicles, but a complete ownership journey built on quality, trust, and service excellence. With trusted partners like Chandan Car, we are building a future-ready EV ecosystem in the country. Their proven automotive expertise, combined with VinFast's technology and vision, will help shape a premium EV experience for Indian customers."VinFast VF 6 The VF 6 will be VinFast's entry-level offering in India, positioned below the VF 7. The VF 6 measures 4,241mm long, 1,834mm wide, and 1,580mm tall, with a 2,730mm wheelbase, placing it in competition with the upcoming Hyundai Creta EV and Tata Its coupe-inspired sloping roofline highlights VinFast's distinctive design the VF 6 is a front-wheel-drive electric motor, offered in two configurations. The Eco variant delivers 174 bhp and 250 Nm of torque, while the Plus variant offers 201 bhp and 310 Nm. Both models use a 59.6 kWh battery pack, delivering up to 399 km of WLTP range in the Eco and 381 km in the Plus. The car sprints from 0–100 km/h in just 8.89 the VF 6 echoes the minimalist design of the VF 7. It comes with a 12.9-inch touchscreen infotainment display tilted toward the driver, with most functions integrated into it. Instead of a conventional instrument cluster, the vehicle features a Head-Up Display (HUD). Other highlights include a full-length panoramic glass roof, vegan leather interiors, ventilated 8-way power driver's seat, dual-zone climate control, rear AC vents, PM1.0 air filter, and wireless Android Auto and Apple and convenience features come standard, including Level 2 ADAS with Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Centring, Blind Spot Monitoring, 360 camera, Automatic Emergency Braking, and Rear Cross Traffic Alert. The VF 6 is also equipped with seven airbags, remote control via mobile app, OTA updates, and multiple smart modes such as Camp, Pet, Wash, and VF 7 Positioned above the VF 6, the VinFast VF 7 is a larger and more performance-oriented SUV. With dimensions of 4,545mm in length, 1,890mm in width, and 1,635.75mm in height, and a 2,840mm wheelbase, it offers a commanding road the VF 7 is available in Eco and Plus trims. Both get a 75.3 kWh battery (usable capacity: 70.8 kWh), but differ in power and drivetrain. The Eco variant features a single front motor with 201 bhp and 310 Nm, offering a WLTP-certified range of up to 450 km. The Plus version brings in dual-motor all-wheel drive, producing a powerful 348 bhp and 500 Nm, with a range of 431 km. Acceleration is brisk, with the Eco doing 0–100 km/h in 9.5 seconds, and the Plus managing it in just 5.8 is a highlight in the VF 7. The Eco version gets a 12.9-inch touchscreen, while the Plus gets an upgraded 15-inch display. Both variants support OTA updates, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, and HUD in place of traditional gauges. The cabin also includes vegan leather upholstery, a panoramic sunroof, dual-zone climate control, ionizer-equipped PM1.0 filtration, and ventilated front seats with 8-way power adjustment for the VF 7 enhances the connected experience via the VinFast app, which enables remote control of locks, windows, AC, and provides updates on vehicle health, location, and intrusion alerts. Special driving modes like Camp, Pet, Wash, and Valet further add to the the safety front, the VF 7 is packed with Level 2 ADAS, which includes Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Centring, Blind Spot Monitoring, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, and Automatic Lane Changing. It also offers a 360-degree camera system, automatic high beams, seven airbags including a knee airbag, electronic parking brake with auto-hold, and roll-over mitigation for enhanced occupant to Auto Today Magazine- Ends advertisement
Economic Times
13 minutes ago
- Economic Times
There is more scope for Indian investment in the UK than the other way around: Swaminathan Aiyar
Swaminathan Aiyar, Consulting Editor, ET Now, says India stands as a prominent investor in the UK, with the Tata Group leading as the largest private sector employer. Enhanced by relaxed social security deductions for IT workers, increased Indian investment in the UK's IT sector appears promising. Opportunities also exist for Indian professionals in finance, media, and sports, potentially fostering a beneficial two-way exchange of skills and remittances. ADVERTISEMENT But the list is long when it comes to some labour intensive sectors, be it from auto ancillary to leather to processed food. Which can be the biggest beneficiary according to you? Swaminathan Aiyar: The government is anxious to emphasise that there will be job creation in artisanal, labour-intensive sectors like leather or textiles or auto ancillaries. I would just say that in the long run, we need to look away from the labour-intensive field. Our comparative advantage is in skills. We are very competitive in skills. We are not competitive on labour costs for there are a large number of issues on the labour side. It includes the very large number of holidays we have in India compared with anybody else, and relatively short hours of work. Because of all this, I do not think India has a great advantage in the labour-intensive sector which the government claims it wants to promote as our labour laws do not really promote that. So that is the real problem, our own labour laws, not the trade barriers in Europe, not the trade barriers in the UK. And we would have to do something about that. In auto ancillaries, we can certainly have a move up. The British car industry has disappeared in terms of British names, but the multinationals of the world are there, certainly the Japanese and Korean companies and we can export there and hopefully at some point of time, we will even be able to export to Jaguar which is very high-end in terms of the auto parts, but Tata owns it. We are not competitive in large cars, but we are definitely competitive in small cars. For countries in Europe, and in England, small cars are preferable, whereas in the USA, it is large cars. Small cars are preferable because of very high prices of petrol and because of a lack of parking spaces. Americans have huge parking spaces for their large cars. Britain and Europe are much more constrained by space. So, our small car exports should have a chance of rising significantly. It will also depend of course on what happens to the tariffs of various rivals. Malaysia, Thailand, China, all of these are competitors in small car areas. So, I am not sure what will happen out there, but if we have a good deal, if we have a very low tariff regime and they do not, that will clearly give us a benefit in the UK. Does the FTA lay groundwork for wider cooperation in technology, green energy, and mobility? Will it also help boost investments in a meaningful way according to you? Swaminathan Aiyar: There are a number of issues. As far as investment is concerned, will this help mutual investment? Will this help Indian investment in the UK? Will it help British investment in India? I am not sure to what extent it will boost British investment in India. The reason is that Britain hardly produces many goods anymore. It used to be a large exporter of goods, but it has substantially deindustrialised and become a services sector. So, it will want to do something more on the services sector which we should allow because we are competitive in services, we should allow them to come in. But again, if somebody comes into the services with a GCC, it will not involve very much investment. It will certainly generate revenue. It will help generate skills. It will be skilling of the Indian workforce. There will be exports involved, but do not expect very heavy investment. It does not take a lot of heavy investment to start an R&D centre into artificial intelligence. So that is the kind of thing the British may be investing in India. ADVERTISEMENT India is one of the biggest investors in the UK. The Tata Group is the largest single employer in the private sector in the entire United Kingdom. I mean, it has TCS, it has Jaguar, and it has its steel plant out there and those together are a massive amount of investment, a massive amount of jobs. Will that trend increase? Yes, it could increase. But as I said, that is now fundamentally a services economy. It is no longer a large-scale producer of merchandise. So, can Indian companies like TCS which are already well established increase their footprint? Yes, I should think so, especially now that there is this freedom in terms of social security deductions. Earlier, if an IT worker went there, a significant part of his salary was cut saying this is a social security contribution although he would never get it back as a pension in his old age. Now that that is being waived for three years, we will be able to send lots more people for up to three years and this should induce much more Indian investment in the IT sector there. I hope that happens. It looks promising. Of course, the other thing is that will there be more Indian writers for Financial Times and The Economist or more Indian footballers going into the Premier League, some of these areas and of course, there is the stock market. I mean, Britain is a highly financialised market with a huge stock market. It already has a significant number of Indian names that are already well known. I imagine that number could go up. How many of them would retain a close connection with India? I am not sure. But you could hope that a significant number of people go there and they improve their skills, send home remittances, and later on perhaps come back and open businesses here, so that is what we look forward to, something happening two-way and on this frankly I see more scope for Indian investment in the UK than the other way around. (You can now subscribe to our ETMarkets WhatsApp channel)
