Krafton said on the 15th that it will release 12 new titles within the next two years and expand the Battlegrounds (PUBG) intellectual property (IP) into a content platform. By activating a total pipeline of 26 new titles, it will also accelerate efforts to discover an IP to succeed Battlegrounds.
Krafton Chief Executive Kim Chang-han shared this year's business strategy and mid- to long-term growth direction through the in-house communication program "Krafton Live Talk," held under the theme "The essence of games, expansion of value." At the event, Kim said the company will continue this year with the mid- to long-term "big franchise IP" strategy released last year.
The strategy aims to expand in-house production investment, expand publishing volume, and streamline resource allocation, focusing on securing original and competitive franchise IPs. Krafton defined a franchise IP as one that achieves repeated growth over a long period.
This year, the company plans to ramp up new game development and speed up expansion of the Battlegrounds IP. Kim said, "Krafton is focused on the essence of the game business and has shifted its new title push into the execution phase," adding, "While expanding the PUBG IP franchise into a content platform, we will create franchise IPs based on our new title pipeline and production leadership."
Krafton is currently running a total of 26 game projects as its new title pipeline. Of these, 12 titles, including "Subnautica 2," "Palworld Mobile," and "NO LAW," are slated for release within the next two years.
Existing IPs will also be expanded. Krafton has selected "inZOI" and "Mimesis" as this year's strategic IPs and will nurture them into franchise IPs with long product life cycles. inZOI will boost IP longevity by expanding user-generated content (UGC) based on artificial intelligence (AI) simulation, and Mimesis will solidify its position in the co-op horror genre to pursue mid- to long-term growth.
For PUBG, Krafton's flagship title, the company plans to focus on broadening ways to play through motion updates and new modes. It also plans to expand into media content and grow into a content platform that goes beyond games.
First, it will expand sandbox-oriented user-generated content (UGC) that uses PUBG's unique shooting elements, systems, and physics engine, strengthening an ecosystem where users create and share content themselves. It is also developing new titles for mobile and cross-platform targeting the global market. Through new titles such as "Black Budget" and "Blindspot," it will validate expansion of the PUBG IP's genres, while taking on new platforms and genres in parallel to prepare for the next stage of growth.
It also announced plans for new businesses based on artificial intelligence (AI). Starting this year, Krafton sees physical AI and Robotics as one of the areas where it can extend and apply its game technologies, and it will seek AI-driven, game-based new businesses. A company official said, "In particular, the data and simulation experience accumulated in virtual worlds where the laws of physics in reality are elaborately implemented, such as Battlegrounds, serve as a basis for reviewing related new businesses."
As part of its strategy to expand into Robotics recently, Krafton also filed for a new trademark last month under the name "Ludo Robotics."
Krafton said, "Going forward, Krafton will review new businesses in ways that expand our core competencies, based on the technologies and research and development capabilities accumulated as a game company."