Krafton India Gaming Incubator launched

Video Game holding company, Krafton, has launched the Krafton India Gaming Incubator (KIGI) with the the intention of supporting the Indian gaming ecosystem and local talent.

The KIGI aims to assist up to ten teams annually for durations ranging from six months to a year through guidance, mentorship, access to resources and financial support, typically between $50,000 to $150,000.

The program is particularly focused on early-stage startups, those at the conception stage, student teams and independent developers.

KIGI will also see selected participants receive mentoring from gaming industry executives and experts from South Korea and India as well as affording participants access to Krafton’s internal resources.

Issues to address

KIGI has been devised with the express aim of addressing the lack of diversity in the Indian gaming ecosystem as well as satisfying the increasing demand for gaming content. 

Sean Hyunil Sohn, CEO of Krafton India, made this statement on the matter:

“Given the huge demand for gaming content, the supply side has yet to mature. There are many great startups and small to medium-sized and large-size game developers, but I think in the ecosystem, there is a lack of diversity.”

The program

Former Gameloft and Electronic Arts producer Anuj Sahani, has been appointed as head of the incubator program, which is both game engine and platform agnostic.

Crucially, the program excludes developers or startups involved in real money gaming (RMG) or any more general gambling content.

Subsequent to graduation from KIGI, participants will have the opportunity to seek capital from institutional investors or receive funding from Krafton’s allocation for the Indian market. 

Krafton India itself sees the incubator as a way to identify potential startups and teams for possible acquisition. 

India’s video game industry

Indian video game revenue is projected to grow by an impressive 21.2 percent year-on-year across all platforms, amounting to $868 million in 2023 and accounting for a mass of new gamers.

This can in part be attributed to equity funding in Indian gaming start-ups receiving substantial growth despite a previous market slowdown. 

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