Krafton India, the developer of the game Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI), intends to expand its investment portfolio by supporting companies in both the gaming and non-gaming sectors through financial or other means. This was reported by Nihansh Bhat, head of corporate development at the company in India.
Over the past four to five years, the company has invested approximately $250 million in India and plans to continue investing around $50–60 million in gaming companies, artificial intelligence startups, and venture funds that invest in these startups.
According to Bhat, if larger and more mature companies are encountered, Krafton India finds ways to support them, while for less mature companies, different approaches are used, including mentorship, consulting, and incubation programs.
In addition to direct investments in mature and early-stage companies in India, Krafton India has begun increasing its investments in venture funds that do not have direct working relationships with the company. Previously, the company initially focused only on funds oriented towards gaming companies, but quickly realized that due to the youth of the gaming sector, one fund could not concentrate all its resources solely on supporting such companies.
Bhat noted that the company currently has about eighteen companies in its portfolio, only four or five of which are gaming studios, and the total investment amount in these companies and funds has reached approximately $250 million.
In April this year, the South Korean-based tech giant launched a fund focused on India with a capital of 6,000 crore rupees to support early-stage technology startups in the country. One of Krafton India's key areas of interest is investing in companies operating in the consumer internet and media entertainment space, such as Kuku FM, which became one of the company's first investments.
Bhat emphasized that although most companies receive investment in one or two rounds, Krafton India supports them through multiple funding rounds if it sees synergy, which is an advantage of a strategic investor.
