The move deepens a push that already runs through a South Korean consortium as Krafton earlier this year joined internet giant Naver and asset manager Mirae Asset to launch the $670 million Unicorn Growth Fund, an India-focused vehicle backing growth stage startups in AI, software and deep tech.
The fresh pledge, separate from that fund, lifts Krafton's total planned direct investment in India to $500 million.
Krafton has quietly built a substantial Indian startup portfolio, backing around 18 companies, of which only a handful are gaming studios, with bets spanning audio platform Kuku FM, streaming platform Loco and storytelling service Pratilipi.
Krafton Chairman Chang Byung-gyu, who met Modi on Sept. 4, cast the outlay as a durable wager on Indian talent.
"India is a major market with outstanding talent across gaming, technology and innovation," Chang said, adding that the investment reflected long-term confidence in the country's digital economy.
The bet dovetails with warming ties between Seoul and New Delhi, which in April unveiled an "Korea-India Digital Bridge" to anchor cooperation in AI and semiconductors and pledged to nearly double bilateral trade to $50 billion by 2030.
Korean heavyweights from Samsung Electronics to HD Hyundai have been widening their footprint in the fast-digitizing economy.
Alongside the capital, Krafton is building local capacity, having acquired Pune-based Nautilus Mobile, maker of the Real Cricket franchise, and launched the KIGI Academy training program with the Indian Institute of Technology Madras.
AJP Takeaways
- Krafton will invest an additional $250 million in India over the next three to four years, expanding beyond mobile gaming into artificial intelligence, robotics and deep tech, and lifting its total planned direct investment in the country to about $500 million.
- The commitment builds on the $670 million Unicorn Growth Fund that Krafton launched with Naver and Mirae Asset to back growth-stage Indian startups, and follows the "Korea-India Digital Bridge" that South Korea and India unveiled in April 2026 to deepen cooperation in AI and semiconductors.
- Krafton has backed around 18 Indian companies, most of them outside gaming, including audio platform Kuku FM, streaming platform Loco and storytelling service Pratilipi, and has acquired Pune-based Nautilus Mobile while launching the KIGI Academy training program with the Indian Institute of Technology Madras.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.
