Krafton India launches gaming incubator to expand local ecosystem

techcrunch.com:

Krafton India has launched a gaming incubator in the South Asian nation as it seeks to expand the local ecosystem and support the domestic talent looking to enter the fast-growing gaming market.

Called Krafton India Gaming Incubator (KIGI), the program aims to support six to 10 teams annually, with the total duration ranging from six months to a year. Selected participants will get guidance, mentorship, access to Krafton’s resources and financial support, typically between $50,000 – $150,000 depending on their needs, the company said on Wednesday.

Krafton India, which recently relaunched the popular mobile title BGMI, said it would look for early-stage Indian startups and those at the conception stage, as well as student teams and independent developers for the KIGI program. The selected participants will be mentored by various gaming industry executives, game developers and industry experts from South Korea and India. Krafton will also offer the participants access to its internal resources, including data and market research, to help them build their respective products for the Indian markets worldwide.

“Given the huge demand for gaming content [in India], 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,” said Sean Hyunil Sohn, CEO of Krafton India, in an interview.

The South Korean company has appointed former Gameloft and Electronic Arts producer Anuj Sahani as the head of its incubator program. Sahani told TechCrunch that he, along with other executives at Krafton, will look for relevant participants by going through their applications and will pick the ones that fit the company’s global