South Korean gaming major Krafton has put $5.4 million (around Rs 40 crore) in the Pune-based mobile game development studio Nautilus Mobile.
Nautilus Mobile, which is owned by JetSynthesys, is expected to use the investment to expand its footprint globally and introduce a slew of sports games. Nautilus already has in its kitty the leading simulation-based cricket gaming franchise with over 100 million downloads and a community of 10 million monthly active users.
Nautilus was set up in 2013 and was acquired in October 2020 by JetSynthesys, which is a part of the diversified JetLine group of companies. The Adar Poonawalla-backed entity will continue to hold a majority stake in Nautilus Mobile after this investment.
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Krafton to stir up sports-based gaming segment
Rajan Navani, Founder and CEO of JetSynthesys and Chairman of Nautilus Mobile, said: "With this partnership, we aim to scale Nautilus Mobile’s already robust gaming portfolio bolstering their growth trajectory further".
In 2021, Krafton invested $22.5 million in Nodwin Gaming to acquire 10% stake in the e-sport venture. Krafton’s other notable investments here include game streaming platform Loco, storytelling platform Pratilipi and gamified dating app Frnd.
Krafton is the company behind the popular battle royale game Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI). It is a collective of independent game development studios brought together to create new entertainment experiences for gamers across the world.
"Nautilus Mobile has a young and passionate team who are mission-driven to create the best Cricket experience on mobile with a proven track record of building successful cricket games,” said Sean Hyunil Sohn, India head of Krafton.
He added: “Krafton is excited to invest in them as the first game development studio in India with whom we share a common goal of creating more unique sports gaming experiences for a passionate cricketing Indian audience. We are committed to enhance the video game ecosystem in India and this is yet another step in that direction.”
New sports games with the backing of Krafton can stir up the whole market.
Krafton has been trying desperately to remain in Indian market after PUBG, whose publishing rights were with the Chinese company Tencent, was banned. Since then Krafton severed its links with Tencent for the Indian market and arrived as BGMI. And it is also making strategic investments in India.
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