As we reported recently, Krafton’s financials for the Q3 period were recently released and contained a great deal of information about the company’s monetary situation. From a slump in sales for PUBG Mobile and an overall rise for PUBG on other platforms to their recommitment to the Indian market. However, one piece of information we didn’t mention was that Krafton announced, with little fanfare, their intent to acquire developers of The Ascent, Neon Giant.
The specific passage includes a gesture to the company focusing more on platforms other than mobile “Furthermore, KRAFTON continues to invest in its development and service capabilities to ensure a steady pipeline of premium titles. The company announced plans to acquire Swedish studio Neon Giant (The Ascent), which is currently working on an open-world FPS game”.
A pivot from mobile?
Although companies such as Take-Two Interactive and Activision-Blizzard have recently seen their revenue become mobile-first, the dominant platforms for gaming remain the big two of console and PC. Although we can speculate about how companies will begin investing more into mobile, it should be noted that doing so is not without its risks. So some companies will likely want to hedge their bets by investing back into other platforms.
The lower revenue for PUBG Mobile, and Krafton’s battle to reinstate BGMI (BattleGrounds Mobile India) might have soured their mobile ventures somewhat. Although we’re unlikely to see them shift away entirely, it does not sound as if that’s where their priorities lie if they’re acquiring a studio that works mainly for consoles and PC. It’s possible once they’re sure of whether or not BGMI can be reinstated, we’ll see some more movements in their mobile department. Given the growth of the Indian mobile market, it’s unlikely that Krafton would ever want to divest without pursuing every option first.
Mobile gaming is having a big boost at the moment, and we recently got a chance to talk to Supercell Game Lead on Brawl Stars, Frank Keienburg about Supercell and their work, as well as what he believes other platforms can learn from mobile.
