Krafton, the South Korean company behind Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI), is significantly expanding its India ambitions. The company plans to invest another $250 million in India over the next three to four years, with its interests extending beyond gaming into artificial intelligence, robotics and deep technology.
The announcement comes as Krafton increasingly treats India as more than a market for mobile games. According to TechCrunch, the latest commitment would take Krafton's planned investment in India to more than $500 million, including the more than $250 million it has already invested since 2021. The new commitment is separate from the India-focused growth fund Krafton announced with Naver and Mirae Asset in 2025.
Krafton is looking beyond BGMI
BGMI remains central to Krafton's India strategy, but the company is now building a much broader presence.
Krafton has already backed around 18 companies in India, including gaming and consumer-internet businesses such as Nodwin Gaming, Loco, Pratilipi, Kuku FM and One Impression. It also acquired Pune-based Nautilus Mobile, the developer behind the Real Cricket franchise.
The new investment push could give Indian startups working in AI, robotics and other emerging technologies another potential source of capital.
Krafton's chairman Byung Gyu Chang also met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on September 4, with discussions covering opportunities for India and South Korea to cooperate across gaming, technology and emerging sectors.
BGMI Lite is still coming to India in 2026
For ordinary mobile gamers, the more immediate development is BGMI Lite.
Krafton India has confirmed that BGMI Lite is scheduled to launch in India by the end of 2026. The company says the title is intended to make the BGMI experience accessible to a wider group of players.
Krafton has also announced that Android users can pre-register through Google Play, with the initial download size expected to be around 1GB. Existing BGMI players will not need to transfer their accounts to BGMI Lite, according to Krafton India's announcement. iOS availability and further details are expected later.
KRAFTON India’s BGMI Lite announcement
That could make BGMI Lite particularly interesting in India, where a large number of smartphone users still rely on affordable devices with limited storage and less powerful hardware.
However, Krafton has not yet provided every technical detail players will want to know. Questions around minimum RAM, supported processors, graphics settings and long-term update support will become more important as the launch approaches.
Why this matters for India's gaming industry
Krafton's latest move shows how India's gaming market is becoming part of a larger technology ecosystem.
The company is not simply trying to sell more games. Its investments now span gaming studios, digital content, consumer internet and emerging technologies. That could create opportunities for Indian developers and startups while giving Krafton a wider foothold in the country's technology sector.
For gamers, BGMI Lite is arguably the most visible result of this strategy in the short term. A lighter version of BGMI could bring the franchise to phones that struggle with the standard game, potentially expanding its audience even further.
BGMI itself has already crossed 260 million downloads in India, according to Krafton.
What happens next?
Krafton's next challenge will be turning its investment plans into actual products, startups and technology partnerships in India.
For BGMI players, the immediate focus will be BGMI Lite. Krafton has confirmed the 2026 launch window, but the company has not announced an exact release date yet.
Until then, players should avoid downloading unofficial “BGMI Lite APK” files or entering personal information on third-party registration pages. The safest approach is to use Krafton's official announcements and Google Play when the game becomes available.
SpecFront take: Krafton's $250 million commitment is bigger than a gaming announcement. It signals that one of India's most prominent mobile-game publishers increasingly sees the country as a long-term technology and investment market. BGMI Lite may attract the most attention from gamers, but the company's expansion into AI, robotics and deep tech could ultimately have a much wider impact.