KRAFTON aims to set up R&D centre in India by 2026

While Sohn noted that details were yet to be finalized, Bengaluru and Pune were the prime candidates for the proposed facility.

The KRAFTON India CEO also highlighted the lack of talent supply in the Indian gaming ecosystem

KRAFTON says it has invested $160 million in Indian startups since 2021 and plans to invest an additional $150 million in the next two to three years.

Sean Hyunil Sohn, head of South Korean gaming giant KRAFTON in India, has reportedly announced that the company plans to set up a research and development (R&D) facility in India by 2026.

According to PTI, Sohn said the R&D unit will focus on creating games “tailored to Indian culture”. Noting that the details were not yet finalised, he said Bengaluru and Pune were the prime candidates for the proposed facility.

“We will continue to bring new games to the Indian market, either by sourcing them from outside India or from within India. We will do our best to create a high-quality development team based in India and create high-quality games based on Indian culture,” Sohn said.

While he noted that the company has seen “a very rapid pace of growth year-on-year”, he highlighted the lack of supply of top-quality talent in the Indian gaming ecosystem.

“The short history of game development may not have had enough influence on the general public to understand gaming as a proper, serious career. Besides, as a developing country with a huge young population, there is a lack of sufficient conscious investment in basic IT infrastructure for education,” Sohn was reported to have added.

He also called on the government and Indian companies to offer “some educational support” to promote the online gaming ecosystem in the country.

“There should be some educational support from the government. I may be superficial in understanding the whole picture of education in India, but I feel, through my interactions with young students here, that there is a lack of infrastructure at home as well as in school. Even if they want to learn coding and game development, they don’t have the equipment to do so,” he added.

It is worth noting that the South Korean giant operates its popular battle royale game Battleground Mobile India (BGMI) in India. The country is one of the company’s three largest markets in terms of user base.

The company says it has invested $160 million in Indian startups since 2021 and plans to invest an additional $150 million in domestic high-tech companies over the next two to three years.

Earlier this year, the company also launched an incubator initiative to support gaming development in India by providing funding, mentorship, and essential resources to game developers.