The South Korean gaming major, Krafton, has partnered with technology company Naver and financial services group Mirae Asset to launch an INR 6,000 crore (approximately $750 million) India-focused Unicorn Growth Fund, underscoring its long-term commitment to India’s gaming and interactive entertainment ecosystem.
The fund represents a strategic escalation of Krafton’s India play, shifting focus from early experimentation to late-stage, scale-driven investments in companies approaching unicorn status. It positions India not merely as a mobile gaming consumption market, but as a future hub for global gaming IP, esports, and digital entertainment platforms.
Since 2021, Krafton has invested over $200 million in Indian startups across gaming, interactive entertainment, esports, content, and technology. Its portfolio includes JetSynthesys, Lila Games, Nodwin Gaming, Pratilipi, Kuku FM, FRND, One Impression, Shuru, and Cashfree, reflecting a broad strategy that spans content creation, communities, payments, and fan engagement.
In March of this year, Krafton made its first acquisition in India by purchasing over 75 percent of the stake in Nautilus Mobile, the Pune-based studio behind the Real Cricket mobile game franchise, for INR 118 crore. Earlier this month, Krafton also took over publishing responsibilities for the Real Cricket title, signalling deeper operational involvement and long-term IP ownership in Indian sports gaming.
Under the new fund, Krafton will commit approximately INR 1,230 crore (200 billion won), with Naver contributing a similar amount. Mirae Asset Venture India will manage the Korea-domiciled fund and will also invest a slightly smaller sum. The fund is expected to begin operations in January 2026, with capital deployment phased over time.
The Unicorn Growth Fund will focus on Series C and later-stage investments, with the flexibility to participate in pre-IPO rounds. While the mandate includes high-growth technology companies, gaming, esports, interactive entertainment, and digital content platforms will remain priority sectors aligned with Krafton’s core expertise.
Naver brings experience in building large-scale digital ecosystems across content and platforms, while Mirae Asset adds institutional capital discipline and public-market readiness.
For India’s gaming and interactive entertainment sector, the fund arrives at a critical juncture, offering patient capital, strategic expertise, and global market access as gaming continues to emerge as a core pillar of the modern sports and entertainment economy.
