Winners Gain Direct Access to Cohort 3 of the KRAFTON India Gaming Incubator

Rendezvous 2025, being held from September 28 to 30, and marking its 50th year under the theme “Golden Threads of Time” KRAFTON has partnered with IIT Delhi not just to celebrate games and Esports, but to unlock the latent potential of student developers across India.

 

As part of this engagement, KRAFTON conducted a Game Development Challenge, wherein participants received a problem statement in advance, formed teams, and today presented their games before an expert jury comprising Anuj Sahani, Head of the KRAFTON India Gaming Incubator Program, Saurabh Shah- Head of People Operations and Karan Gaikwad, Lead – Product Management, KRAFTON India. The top three teams not only gained recognition but also secured exclusive fast-track access to the KRAFTON India Gaming Incubator (KIGI) process. KIGI is designed to accelerate the country’s most promising game developers by providing mentorship, funding, and publishing support, and has recently opened registrations for its third cohort. This direct entry allowed their projects to be reviewed for Cohort 3 without the standard registration process, giving them a significant head start in their journey as game developers. 

 

On the occasion, Anuj Sahani, Head – KRAFTON India Gaming Incubator and Advisor, India Publishing Department, said: “India isn’t just a market; it is a cauldron of creativity. Students today are no longer satisfied being mere consumers. They want to build, invent, tell stories, solve problems through games. At Rendezvous 2025, KRAFTON opened the door: bringing mentorship, exposure, and opportunity. Because when India’s brightest minds become its creators, the world will sit up and take notice.”

 

“True impact comes when young talent is given room to explore, fail, and grow,” said, Saurabh Shah, Head of People Operations, KRAFTON India, while addressing the students about KRAFTON's Early Talent Program. He further added, "This program is our way of giving young minds a stage to explore, experiment, and grow. Through real projects, mentorship, and full-time opportunities, we aim to help students turn passion into purpose and ideas into impact, shaping not only strong careers, but also the next wave of creators who will define India’s gaming future."

 

With the Game Development Challenge and Esports competition, KRAFTON catalyzed a pipeline from campus to studio. The winners, who earned early access to KIGI, are now positioned to become tomorrow’s indie hits, studio leads, or tech innovators.

 

With over 488 million online gamers in 2024, a domestic market that reached USD 4.3–4.4 billion in value, and projected growth to more than USD 15 billion by 2033, according to leading analysts, the ecosystem is ready for creative, homegrown game development. For years, Indian youth have been powerful consumers of games, a force defined by millions of downloads, daily engagement, and passion. But what if many of them could become makers, not just players? What if their ingenuity, technical skills, stories, and designs could drive the next wave of global games coming from India, not to India? That is the story KRAFTON set out to write at IIT Delhi.

About KRAFTON, Inc.

Headquartered in South Korea, KRAFTON, Inc. is dedicated to discovering and publishing captivating games that offer fun and unique experiences. Established in 2007, KRAFTON is home to globally renowned developers that include PUBG STUDIOS, Striking Distance Studios, Unknown Worlds, VECTOR NORTH, Neon Giant, KRAFTON Montréal Studio, Bluehole Studio, RisingWings, 5minlab, Dreamotion, ReLU Games, Flyway Games, Tango Gameworks and inZOI Studio. Each studio strives to continuously take on new challenges and leverage innovative technologies. Their goal is to win over more fans by broadening KRAFTON’s platforms and services. With a passionate and driven team across the globe, KRAFTON is a tech-forward company that possesses world-class capabilities and is set on expanding its business horizons to encompass multimedia entertainment and deep learning. For more information, visit https://www.krafton.com/

 

About KRAFTON India

In India, KRAFTON is responsible for premier mobile games, including BATTLEGROUNDS MOBILE INDIA (BGMI), which has surpassed 200 million downloads, Bullet Echo India, Road To Valor: Empires, and CookieRun India, among others. Committed to enhancing the start-up ecosystem in India, KRAFTON has invested over $200 million in several Indian startups across interactive entertainment, gaming, Esports, and technology, since 2021. KRAFTON actively supports India’s game development ecosystem through its KRAFTON India Gaming Incubator (KIGI) while strengthening the Esports ecosystem with flagship events like the BATTLEGROUNDS MOBILE INDIA SERIES (BGIS) and BATTLEGROUNDS MOBILE INDIA PRO SERIES (BMPS). For more information, visit https://krafton.in/

 

About KRAFTON India Gaming Incubator (KIGI)

KRAFTON India Gaming Incubator (KIGI) is a mentorship-focused incubation program launched in 2023 to support and accelerate India's game development ecosystem. Designed to nurture emerging game developers, it provides financial assistance, hands-on mentorship from globally renowned industry veterans, and access to KRAFTON’s vast suite of resources. Participants receive financial assistance ranging between $50,000 and $150,000, along with expert guidance from seasoned professionals based across India, South Korea, and other key gaming ecosystems the world over, equipping them with the tools to build successful games. Beyond incubation, KIGI also opens avenues for publishing, venture capital funding, and potential equity investment from KRAFTON. The inaugural cohort includes ReDimension Games, Shura Games, Dunali Games, and Arjuna Studios. With the second cohort now underway, KIGI continues to empower Indian game developers in creating globally competitive, high-quality games.