With Real Cricket in its fold, KRAFTON eyes global ambitions for Indian gaming IPs

With the government throwing its full weight behind the esports industry, India’s gaming sector is increasingly looking beyond consumption to creation. In that context, KRAFTON India’s recent decision to take over the publishing of Nautilus Mobile’s Real Cricket is being seen as a defining moment for homegrown gaming IP.

On December 9, 2025, KRAFTON India said it will assume publishing responsibilities for Real Cricket, bringing a successful cricket gaming franchise into KRAFTON’s fold. Industry watchers see the move as a key step that could translate into stronger live operations, higher production quality and deeper community engagement. Notably, the latest announcement comes after KRAFTON acquired a majority stake in Nautilus Mobile in March 2025.

In a conversation with Fortune India, Anuj Sahani, Head of KRAFTON India Gaming Incubator and Associate Director, India Publishing, and Anuj Mankar, Director and CEO of Nautilus Mobile, discuss what this shift means for Real Cricket, and how it could help spark a new wave of India-made gaming IPs with global ambitions. 

KRAFTON India is a division of the Korean-headquartered gaming giant KRAFTON Inc. KRAFTON is best known for PUBG: Battlegrounds and PUBG Mobile, which is one of the most influential PC, mobile and console games worldwide. In India, KRAFTON publishes Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI), a game that caters to mass market of India. It also publishes other games like CookieRun India, Archery King: PVP Battle, BULLET ECHO INDIA, Garuda Saga, Road To Valor: Empires. Real Cricket has been one of the key esports cricket gaming franchises, which focuses on bringing emotion and broadcast-style realism of real-world cricket to mobile players. The game allows real online matches with licensed teams, which compete in tournaments, and experience multiplayer battles.

Talking about its new chapter under KRAFTON, Anuj Mankar says that core philosophy of “emotion and realism” is only going to grow. “Their global expertise, production discipline and technology support strengthen our foundation and open new possibilities for deeper immersion, a stronger competitive ecosystem and broader reach.”

The game’s latest release also introduces upgrades and new features. Explaining about key innovations, Anuj Sahani, Head, KRAFTON India Incubator and Associate Director, Publishing, says players will see two major features: The RC Pass and Real Rewards T20 Series. “The RC Pass introduces a structured 30-day progression system with challenges and rewards, while the Real Rewards T20 Series links in-game performance to real-world incentives through competitive leaderboards.” 

Some other key features that elevate the core presentation are official IPL team licences for Rajasthan Royals, Mumbai Indians, Lucknow Super Giants, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Punjab Kings. New Hindi commentary voices, updated visuals, refined animations and a more intuitive interface are also aimed at providing immersive cricket simulation.

E-sports is touted to be India’s next big youth media growth story. After PROGA, the twin formats of e-sports and free-to-play (F2P) appear well-positioned, at least on paper, to achieve RMG-like success, say experts. The country’s e-sports space, valued at ₹1,100 crore in 2024, is expected to hit a 35% CAGR annually over the next five years on the back of streaming, sponsorships, and tournament rights. 

What does this acquisition mean for Made-in-India gaming IPs at a time when the government wants the esports sector to thrive? “This partnership aligns with our broader strategy of diversifying beyond a single genre and backing games that resonate deeply with Indian players. Cricket fits naturally into this vision and Real Cricket already commands a passionate, long-standing community,” says Anuj Sahani. He believes that with KRAFTON’s publishing infrastructure, technical expertise and analytics-led approach, Real Cricket will see the next stage of its growth through “stability, visual quality and gameplay depth”. “For players and the larger ecosystem, this marks a shift toward higher-quality, deeply local games that feel world-class in their execution.” 

On what to expect in terms of production quality, stability and overall development processes, Anuj Mankar said from the publishing side, Real Cricket will benefit from a stronger technical backbone. “Players will experience reduced crashes, smoother matchmaking and an intuitive UI…on the development side, Nautilus now has access to KRAFTON’s technology stack, enabling faster problem solving and enhanced visuals, animation fidelity and gameplay depth.”

Anuj Sahani, elaborating on how new systems like RC Pass and Real Rewards T20 Series will deepen progression and engagement, said the RC Pass introduces a seasonal progression model that offers meaningful unlocks without restricting access to the core game. “The Real Rewards T20 Series strengthens engagement by linking performance to tangible rewards. Both systems are built to encourage consistency and reward player skill rather than create paywalls.” 

Explaining their long-term vision for Real Cricket, Sahani said the company, in the long term, visions to build Real Cricket into a multi-dimensional cricket ecosystem for players globally. “From a gameplay standpoint, we will continue elevating immersion and authenticity through steady refinements across visuals, competitive structures and progression systems,” says Mankar.