PUBG Mobile developer, Krafton, has invested $22.4 million in the homegrown esports company Nodwin Gaming, a report on TechCrunch stated on Tuesday. It added that the two firms announced last week that they will hold PUBG Mobile events in Asian markets.
As per the report, the aim is to “maintain some presence in what was once its key overseas market” after the ban on PUBG along with several other Chinese apps last year (although Krafton is a South Korea-based firm).
“With Krafton coming on board, we have an endorsement from the mecca of gaming and esports—South Korea—on what we are building from India for the world based on our competence in mobile first markets,” Akshat Rathee, co-founder and managing director of Nodwin Gaming, said in a statement.
PUBG Corporation in November said it is making a comeback with the creation of an Indian subsidiary and a new game as its eyes to re-enter the Indian market.
With its South Korean parent company Krafton, PUBG Corp said it plans to make investments worth $100 million in India to cultivate the local video game, esports, entertainment, and IT industries.
Changhan Kim, CEO of Krafton, said that the company is excited to partner with Gurugram-based Nodwin Gaming to help foster the promising esports ecosystem and engage with our fans and players in India.
The popular gaming PUBG Mobile app was among the 118 Chinese apps that were banned by the Indian government in September last year over national security concerns.
With an aim to make a re-entry in India amid the ban on Chinese apps, PUBG made the decision to no longer authorise the PUBG Mobile franchise to Tencent Games in India.