India’s booming gaming industry has prompted Krafton to re-imagine its popular game, Road to Valor: Empires, for the Indian market. The game now features India-specific customizations, language support in various Indian languages, and a low entry barrier of Rs. 29. In a bid to establish a strong foothold in India, Krafton plans to aggressively market its offerings in the country, leveraging these market-specific customizations to cater to the unique demands of the Indian gaming community.
“India is an important market for us and we are dedicated to creating and delivering games that resonate with Indian players,” says Sean Hyunil Sohn, CEO, KRAFTON, Inc. India.
According to Sohn, the Indian gaming market is on a fast-track and they want to help unlock the potential of Indian gamers and developers while understanding the nuances of the Indian ecosystem.
“We have therefore embarked on several local partnerships,” he says. The company targets to deliver tailor-made gaming experiences to the Indian audience. Interestingly the new game has already clocked 2.5 lakhs pre-registrations.
KRAFTON has invested over $100 million in various Indian start-ups with the latest one being influencer marketing platform One Impression. Others include game streaming platform Loco, Esports firm NODWIN Gaming, Indian language storytelling platform Pratilipi, audio dating app FRND, mobile game development studios Nautilus Mobile and LILA Games and audio content platform Kuku FM.
India on global gaming map
India is on the expansion itinerary of every global gaming brand.
India’s online gaming market, with over 400 million players, is the world’s second-largest after China. The Indian gaming market, valued at $2.6 billion in FY2022, will reach $8.6 billion by 2027 with a 27% CAGR, says Lumikai reports.
Cheap smartphones and fast internet have made India a lucrative gaming market for global giants. Electronic Arts, Tencent, and Ubisoft are also heavily investing in India, with plans for expansion. In 2020, Tencent led a $100 million investment round in Dream11, while Electronic Arts invested in a Hyderabad-based game development studio, FireMonkeys. Ubisoft, on the other hand, announced its plans to expand its Indian operations with the establishment of a new game development studio in Mumbai.
Coming back to, Krafton. For Road to Valor: Empires, the company has announced plans to launch two campaigns. The first campaign will feature a series of videos that combine dry humor and pop culture, while the second campaign, “Garrison ki Kaksha,” will educate users on mastering the game’s strategies.
Additionally, Krafton plans to hide Easter eggs in their Play Store and App Store descriptions, offering rewards for those who solve them. With a focus on engaging India’s talented strategy game fan base, Krafton’s campaigns promise to offer a more immersive and interactive experience for its Indian users.
As India’s gaming industry rises to stratospheric heights, global and homegrown players are getting more aggressive in their strategies to unlock the next level of growth for companies.