Pixel P&L: Krafton Goes Franchise Hunting in India's $3.5B Gaming Market

The best time to buy a franchise is right before everyone realizes it's valuable. KRAFTON is betting that moment is happening right now in India's esports market, where viewership has grown 400% in three years and gaming is becoming a serious business.

In today's email:

🇮🇳 Krafton India’s esports franchise rush has investors scrambling

🎮 Netflix axes 20+ mobile games faster than you can say "subscription fatigue"

📱 Google's stealth gaming app lets you play instantly

KRAFTON Opens Franchise Bidding for Indian Esports League

South Korean gaming company Krafton announced that it was inviting bids for franchise ownership in a new esports league in India, as it seeks to capitalize on the country's growing gaming market.

The company, best known for operating the Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) mobile game in India, set a July 4 deadline for expressions of interest from potential franchise owners. KRAFTON said India has over 450 million gamers and that esports viewership has grown 400% over the past three years. 

The company said it would share detailed terms with qualified bidders after initial submissions are received.

The franchise model follows similar initiatives by other companies in India's esports sector. Skyesports previously launched a franchise-based CS:GO league with an INR 2 crore ($240,000) prize pool, , while the Global e-Cricket Premier League secured celebrity backers including Sara Tendulkar and actor Suniel Shetty for INR 3.05 crore ($354,000) tournament.

Colab Platforms Enters India's Esports Market

Colab Platforms Limited said in a release it plans to launch a competitive gaming platform in India, joining a crowded field of companies targeting the country's online gaming audience. The Mumbai-based company will start with Counter-Strike 2 tournaments before expanding to mobile and other gaming titles.

The move marks Colab's entry into the esports sector as the company diversifies from its technology services background. Colab reported revenue of INR 70.05 crores ($8.4 million) in fiscal 2024-25, up from INR 2.25 crores ($270,000) the previous year, reflecting significant growth across its business operations. Net profit increased to INR 2.86 crores ($344,000) from INR 1.78 crores ($214,000) in the prior year.

Colab has allocated INR 250 million ($3 million) for a sports-tech accelerator program as part of its broader push into India's sports technology sector. The company also owns the Northern Challengers team in the Big Cricket League, captained by former India opener Shikhar Dhawan, and operates an online sports marketplace at colabsports.in targeting India's fitness industry.

⚡Quick Bytes

Google Quietly Launches Instant Gaming App for Android

Google has discreetly rolled out Instant Games, a new Android application that allows users to play HTML5 games without downloading them individually, marking the search giant's latest move into mobile gaming. The launch comes weeks after Apple unveiled a dedicated Games app, though the two serve different purposes. Apple's offering focuses on organizing users' existing game libraries, while Google's approach emphasizes immediate accessibility, similar to its YouTube Playables feature launched with 74 games.

Dream Sports Enters Contested Real-Money Gaming Market

Dream Sports launched Dream Play, expanding its presence in India's real-money gaming sector beyond fantasy sports. Dream Play allows users to compete in multiplayer contests across a variety of skill-based games (like carrom) in exchange for cash rewards. The move puts the Dream11 parent in competition with Mobile Premier League and WinZO during a challenging period for the industry. Companies face 28% taxation and retrospective tax notices totaling Rs 1.5 lakh crore, while the sector navigates ongoing regulatory discussions around skill-based gaming classifications.

Netflix to Remove Over 20 Mobile Games in July

Netflix will delist more than 20 mobile games from its library on July 15, affecting nearly 20% of its gaming catalog. Notable departures include Monument Valley 3, which launched as a Netflix exclusive, along with Hades and Carmen Sandiego. The streaming giant has added "Leaving Soon" notices to affected titles.

⚔️Side Quest

📺 Watch: If you've ever wondered why your "physical" games still need massive downloads, this explains everything. Major publishers are abandoning real physical releases while passionate boutique companies are stepping up to save game preservation. Eye-opening for anyone who still buys discs. 15 minutes well spent.

🎮 Play: Been sleeping on DELTARUNE? Time to fix that. Toby Fox's follow-up to Undertale is peak weird RPG energy with Sans, incredible music, and layers of meta-commentary that'll keep you theorizing for days. Chapters 1&2 are free, so there's zero excuse not to jump in. Fair warning: you'll lose hours hunting secrets.

📚 Read: I stumbled across this sharp analysis of NetEase's upcoming Blood Message and why it matters for Chinese gaming. Daniel Camilo nails how this Tang Dynasty adventure breaks the mold of souls-like clones flooding the market. Plus, there's juicy controversy about historical censorship. Essential reading if you're tracking gaming's global shift.

💡Did You Know

In 2003, legendary game designer Hideo Kojima created one of gaming's most innovative experiments: "Boktai: The Sun is in Your Hand" for Game Boy Advance. This vampire-hunting adventure featured an actual light sensor built into the cartridge that detected real sunlight. Players had to literally take their handheld outside to charge their solar-powered weapons, making outdoor gaming essential for progress. The game's mechanics shifted dramatically between day and night—vampires grew stronger in darkness while your solar gun weakened. This groundbreaking fusion of real-world elements with digital gameplay predated location-based mobile gaming by years, showcasing Kojima's visionary approach to interactive entertainment.

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