Krafton Aims to Build the Next Big Gaming Franchise Like PUBG: Battlegrounds

At a recent company all-hands meeting South Korean gaming giant Krafton outlined its ambitions in a five-year plan of creating a new big franchise IP  through publishing expansion and also via first-party teams and licensing deals.

Video game publisher and holding company behind PUBG: Battlegrounds, with approximately 75 million copies sold, is setting its sights on creating a new blockbuster gaming franchise. At a recent all-hands meeting, CEO CH Kim unveiled a comprehensive five-year roadmap focused on leveraging first-party development, publishing deals, and resource diversification to deliver the next PUBG-level hit.

Kim emphasized Krafton’s commitment to long-term growth by building sustainable franchises: “We aim to create properties with high potential for long-term success, expanding on the foundation established by PUBG: Battlegrounds.” 

The company’s flagship battle royale title remains a keystone of its portfolio, with spinoffs such as New State Mobile and BGMI (an India-specific version) maintaining its relevance worldwide.

A core to the plan of building a new franchise expressed by CH Kim included a three-part ‘blueprint’:

• The first part is about investment in first-party studios. Krafton will boost funding for its fourteen first-party studios, including Striking Distance Studios (The Callisto Protocol), Unknown Worlds (Subnautica), and the newly-revived Tango Gameworks (Ghostwire: Tokyo, Hi-Fi Rush.). The investment aims to enhance development pipelines, attract top-tier talent, and foster specialized expertise.
• As the second part of the plan, Kim outlined plans to optimize studio management processes, ensuring resources are allocated efficiently across development stages to maximize the impact of Krafton’s most promising IPs.
• The third part of Krafton’s plan is all about publishing and licensing expansion. The South Korean gaming giant intends to diversify its portfolio by forming strategic second-party publishing and licensing deals. For instance, its partnership with Pocketpair will produce a mobile adaptation of Palworld, broadening its reach and user base.

2024 has been a year of strategic investments for Krafton, with the company supporting new studios like Red Rover and Eschatology Entertainment while also branching into non-gaming ventures such as the video platform Spoon Labs. These moves, Kim explained, are part of Krafton’s broader goal to diversify and future-proof its business model.