Latest news with #KimChang-han
Korea Herald
14 hours ago
- Business
- Korea Herald
Krafton to acquire Japan's ADK Group for W710b
Korean game developer eyes intellectual property expansion amid growing content market Krafton has decided to invest about 710.3 billion won ($521.3 million) to acquire Japan's ADK Group as the Korean game developer looks to expand its presence in the global content industry. According to Krafton, its board of directors on Tuesday approved the takeover of BCJ-31 -- a holding company under Bain Capital Japan and the parent company of ADK Holdings -- which owns major affiliates of ADK Group such as ADK Market Solutions, ADK Creative One and AKD Emotions. Considered one of the three most influential advertising agencies in Japan, ADK Group has taken part in producing over 300 animation products. ADK Group's annual transaction volume reached $2.4 billion as of last year, according to Krafton. The takeover of the Japanese company came as the Korean game developer has been searching for chances to expand its game-centered intellectual properties. 'Based on a deep understanding of the Japanese content industry, ADK is a partner with great expertise and capabilities that covers animation planning and production, advertising and marketing, and media operation,' said Kim Chang-han, CEO of Krafton. 'Through cooperation with ADK, Krafton will continue to explore various common grounds between game and animation and combine each company's strengths to try to create new opportunities in the global content industry together.'
Korea Herald
11-04-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
Krafton deepens Nvidia partnership to explore robotics collaboration
Krafton is looking to strengthen its partnership with Nvidia, as the Korean game-maker continues to secure a lead in the artificial intelligence and gaming sectors while exploring potential collaboration with the US chip designer in robotics. According to Krafton, its CEO Kim Chang-han visited the Nvidia headquarters in Santa Clara, California, on Thursday to meet with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and discuss ways to bolster their existing partnership, which was first unveiled when Krafton announced the development of co-playable character technology in collaboration with Nvidia at the CES 2025 tech trade show in Las Vegas in January. Krafton said the two leaders exchanged wide-ranging views on the future direction of technological cooperation, focusing on driving innovation in developing games through agentic AI and exploring the potential to expand into robotics, such as humanoids powered by embodied AI. 'I'm thrilled that our collaboration with Nvidia on on-device AI has led to the launch of the first meaningful product in gaming AI,' Kim said during his meeting with the Nvidia chief, referring to Krafton's inZOI, a life simulation game recently launched for early access. Unlike traditional nonplayable characters that follow scripted behaviors in game, inZOI CPCs, which are advanced AI-driven characters enabled by an on-device small language model for gaming built with Nvidia's technology, dynamically consider different game situations and respond accordingly in real time to enable more natural, immersive experiences for human players. Krafton intends to keep innovating gaming experiences for players by integrating CPC technology into other titles, such as the blockbuster hit battle royale shooter PUBG: Battlegrounds' franchise, aiming to position itself as a leader in the gaming industry.
Korea Herald
11-04-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
Krafton deepens Nvidia partnership to advance gaming AI
Krafton is looking to strengthen its partnership with Nvidia, as the Korean game-maker continues to secure a lead in the artificial intelligence and gaming sectors. According to Krafton, its CEO Kim Chang-han visited the Nvidia headquarters in Santa Clara, California, on Thursday to meet with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and discuss ways to bolster their existing partnership, which was first unveiled when Krafton announced the development of co-playable character technology in collaboration with Nvidia at the CES 2025 tech trade show in Las Vegas in January. Krafton said the two leaders exchanged wide-ranging views on the future direction of technological cooperation, focusing on driving innovation in developing games through agentic AI and exploring the potential to expand into robotics, such as humanoids powered by embodied AI. 'I'm thrilled that our collaboration with Nvidia on on-device AI has led to the launch of the first meaningful product in gaming AI,' Kim said during his meeting with the Nvidia chief, referring to Krafton's inZOI, a life simulation game recently launched for early access. Unlike traditional nonplayable characters that follow scripted behaviors in game, inZOI CPCs, which are advanced AI-driven characters enabled by an on-device small language model for gaming built with Nvidia's technology, dynamically consider different game situations and respond accordingly in real time to enable more natural, immersive experiences for human players. Krafton intends to keep innovating gaming experiences for players by integrating CPC technology into other titles, such as the blockbuster hit battle royale shooter PUBG: Battlegrounds' franchise, aiming to position itself as a leader in the gaming industry.
Korea Herald
11-02-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
Krafton posts record earnings in 2024 on upbeat overseas sales
Korean gaming giant Krafton posted record earnings last year as the company continued to ride the global popularity of its megahit battle royale shooter PUBG: Battlegrounds. According to Krafton on Tuesday, the game developer posted 2.71 trillion won ($1.87 billion) in revenue and 1.18 trillion won in operating profit in 2024, up 41.8 percent and 54 percent on-year, respectively. Crediting the success of its PUBG intellectual property's steady success, Krafton pointed out that the battle royale shooting game has resulted in an average annual growth rate of 20 percent in sales over the past five years, while the number of the game's peak concurrent users hit a record high of 890,000 users last year. PUBG's mobile version carried on its positive momentum across the globe, including in emerging markets. In particular, Krafton highlighted that Battlegrounds Mobile India achieved its highest sales ever last year, contributing to a 35.7 percent year-on-year upturn in the company's mobile sales. The company plans to conduct significant investments in production to secure a big franchise intellectual property as it builds on the expansion of the PUBG series, announcing its mid- to long-term goal of surpassing 7 trillion won in annual revenue and doubling its enterprise value within the next five years. 'While continuing to expand the PUBG IP, we will accelerate the discovery of a new franchise IP to further reinforce our competitive edge in the global gaming market,' said Krafton CEO Kim Chang-han. 'With our AI technology defining the future of gaming experiences, we aim to evolve beyond game development as a company that ultimately advances the global entertainment ecosystem.'
