SUMMARY
- KRAFTON’s branch in India has welcomed two more startups into its inaugural group of KIGI.
- Dunali Games and Arjuna Studios are the two latest additions.
- They join Shura Games and Redimension Games, who were part of the program since its inception earlier this year.
The South Korean game development company KRAFTON’s branch in India has welcomed two more startups into its inaugural group of the KRAFTON India Gaming Incubator (KIGI).
The latest additions to the KIGI program are Gurugram-based Dunali Games and Delhi-based Arjuna Studios, announced the company in a press release.
Dunali Games is in the process of creating Tale of Honour, a strategy-based stealth puzzle game for Android, while Arjuna Studios is making waves with Gangster Carnival, a mobile multiplayer Battle Royale game set to make a mark in the gaming industry.
These startups join Shura Games and Redimension Games, who were part of the program since its inception earlier this year.
The initiative was established with the goal of helping new gaming startups achieve some level of success and produce products of higher quality that can compete globally.
KRAFTON is open to supporting a variety of game types for the incubator, but it will not consider any games related to real money gambling or those associated with betting.
Sean Hyunil Sohn, the head of Krafton in India, recently mentioned the company’s plans to set up a research and development (R&D) center in India by 2026.
Sohn mentioned that the R&D center will concentrate on creating games that resonate with Indian culture. Although the exact location of the center is still under discussion, he mentioned that Bengaluru and Pune are among the top contenders.
Anuj Sahani, head of Krafton Incubator Program, “As we are all aware, the gaming industry in India boasts a large user base and numerous downloads, yet the quality of games emerging from the country remains subpar. This programme aims to enhance the overall gaming ecosystem by providing incubated teams with financial support, mentorship, access to tools, and guidance.”
In the previous year, KRAFTON pledged to invest $150 million over the next two to three years in the Indian gaming and entertainment sector.
Additionally, KRAFTON relaunched “BGMI” in India last year. Following the ban of PUBG Mobile in India in 2020, KRAFTON ended its partnership with Tencent to relaunch the game as “BGMI (BattleGrounds Mobile India)”. However, the game was banned again by the Indian government in July 2022 due to concerns over the protection of Indian users’ data, which led to its relaunch last year.
