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PUBG publisher Krafton has acquired a controlling stake in Pune-based games developer Nautilus Mobile for $14 million, marking Krafton’s first control deal in India.
The Indian games maker was founded in 2013 and has become best known for its Real Cricket series on mobile – featuring hundreds of licenced international players.
Reaching beyond 100m downloads and 10m monthly active users in 2020, the studio was previously acquired by JetSynthesys with a 100% stake.
After this, Krafton made its first strategic investment into Nautilus in 2022 and has now become the controlling stakeholder, though JetSynthesys will remain a significant minority investor and will continue to support the mobile games maker in areas such as esports.
The value of Krafton’s control deal was confirmed to TechCrunch and marks “north of a 75% stake”.
Investing in India
Krafton’s acquisition of Nautilus Mobile has come as part of a commitment to invest in the development and acceleration of India’s games market. The deal is expected to drive further innovation and market research, allying Nautilus’ esports experience with Krafton’s global resources and technology.
“At Krafton, we are committed to identifying and supporting companies that have the potential to shape the future of game development,” said Krafton India CEO Sean Hyunil Sohn.
“As an existing investor in Nautilus Mobile, we have witnessed the company’s impressive growth and its ability to deliver world-class gaming content under JetSynthesys’ leadership. This acquisition is a testament to our long-term vision of making India a global hub for game development.”
Nautilus Mobile CEO Anuj Mankar commented: “We are thrilled to join forces with Krafton in this next phase of our journey. Real Cricket, a product made in India for Indians, has the potential to become the first Indian sports game exported globally.
“With Krafton’s global expertise and strong industry network, we’re confident in our ability to elevate the franchise and explore new opportunities in mobile gaming. This partnership will allow us to push the boundaries of innovation and expand our reach, while continuing to deliver engaging and high-quality gaming experiences to players worldwide.”
JetSynthesys founder and CEO Rajan Navani added: “At JetSynthesys, we work closely with our global partners to strengthen the Indian game development ecosystem.
“Krafton’s world-class innovative capabilities will add great value to our highly talented team, led by Anuj Mankar, enabling JetSynthesys to further leverage this strength to build the e-cricket esports ecosystem in India, for India and the world, in the process scaling the already established Global eCricket Premier League to greater heights.”
