India boasts one of the largest gaming audiences globally, with its player base expected to cross 550 million in 2026. However, despite a massive pool of engineering talent, the country faces a critical shortage. Especially when it comes to structured pathways to produce production-ready game developers and globally recognised studios. To bridge this gap, KRAFTON has partnered with IIT Madras to launch KIGI Academy. This adapts the successful KRAFTON Jungle model from South Korea to the Indian market.
Basically, it prioritises hands-on experience over theoretical coursework. The following interview with Anuj Sahani, Head of KRAFTON Incubator Program & Director, KRAFTON India, and Saurabh Shah, Head of People Operations, KRAFTON India, explores how this program aims to equip Indian engineers with the practical skills, mentorship, and studio-level exposure required to build world-class games.
India has one of the world’s largest gaming audiences, but relatively few globally successful game studios. What’s the biggest gap that KIGI Academy is trying to address?
I think the biggest gap is not the lack of interest or talent, but the lack of a structured pathway to become a production-ready game developer. India has a very large gaming audience and a strong pool of engineering talent, but students often don’t get enough opportunities to work on actual game development. That’s what KIGI Academy is trying to change. We want students to go beyond learning the theory and actually build games, work in teams and understand what the development process looks like inside a professional studio.
Why was now the right time to launch KIGI Academy in India?
A few things came together. We already have an established relationship with IIT Madras through our campus engagement, including the technical fest and game jams. At the same time, KRAFTON Jungle in Korea has trained over 1,000 developers since its launch in December 2020, giving us an established model that we can now adapt to the Indian context.
It’s also about where we are as a company in India. Since 2023, KRAFTON India Gaming Incubator has backed 14 studios across three cohorts, and our first incubated PC title, Frontier Paladin, launched earlier this year. While the incubator supports developers who have already taken the leap, KIGI Academy takes us a step earlier, to students who are still exploring game development as a career.
India has a young talent pool, and there is a growing focus on building skills in frontier technologies. We see game development as an important part of that opportunity. KIGI Academy is also aligned with the broader Make in India ambition, enabling Indian engineers to build games in India, for audiences around the world.
What made IIT Madras the ideal partner for this initiative?
For us, it was a combination of the quality of talent and the relationship we already have with the institute. IIT Madras has a strong engineering talent pool, which makes it a good fit for a programme focused on building game development skills. We’ve also had an active relationship with the campus over the last three years through events such as the technical fest and game jams. So there was already a strong foundation for starting the programme here. Going forward, we also see an opportunity to take this model to other leading engineering institutions and build a wider talent pipeline for the gaming industry.
Is your ambition to create more game developers, or to build an ecosystem that eventually produces globally recognised Indian game studios?
It’s really both. In the immediate term, we want to create developers who are ready to work in the industry. But if you look at the larger picture, we’re trying to contribute to the overall game development ecosystem in India. Not everyone who goes through KIGI Academy has to end up at KRAFTON. If some students want to build their own studios, there is also a potential pathway into the KRAFTON India Gaming Incubator Program, where they can get further mentorship. So it’s not just about creating a hiring pipeline for KRAFTON.
There are already many game design and development courses in India. What makes KIGI Academy fundamentally different?
The biggest difference is that this isn’t just a course or a certification programme. Students actually get to build games and experience how a professional studio works. The programme is fully funded by KRAFTON India, and after the initial training at IIT Madras, selected students spend eight weeks at our Bengaluru headquarters working alongside the development team. There is also a clear employment pathway for the top performers. So we’re bringing together learning, practical experience and a potential career opportunity in one programme.
How closely does the curriculum mirror actual workflows inside KRAFTON studios?
It’s designed to be very hands-on. The curriculum is based on KRAFTON Jungle and has been adapted for the Indian context. During the first phase, students work with Unity, follow a regular development cycle and build actual game prototypes. The selected students then spend eight weeks at our Bengaluru office, where they work alongside the development team, receive mentorship and ultimately present a vertical-slice game. So they get a sense of what it actually takes to take an idea and turn it into a working game.
Which disciplines will the program emphasise?
- Gameplay programming
- Artificial Intelligence
- Graphics
- Art
- Animation
- Level design
- Game economy
- Live services
- Quality Assurance
The core objective of the programme is to give students a holistic understanding of the overall game development process. While game-specific programming and practical coding will remain the primary focus, the programme will also introduce students to other important areas such as artificial intelligence, graphics, art, animation, level design, game economy, live services and quality assurance.
The idea is to give students a broader understanding of how these different functions come together across the game development lifecycle, while building strong programming and technical fundamentals that they can apply in a professional game development environment.
How much importance will be given to emerging technologies like generative AI in game development?
Generative AI is becoming an important part of the broader game development conversation. But at KIGI Academy, our immediate focus is on getting the fundamentals right, whether that’s programming, Unity or understanding the game development process. Once students have those fundamentals, newer technologies such as generative AI can be introduced where they can genuinely add value to the development process. The curriculum can evolve as the technology and industry evolve.
Will students interact directly with KRAFTON teams in South Korea or other global studios?
The core training will be led by the KRAFTON India team, but the programme will have a strong global game development focus. During the eight-week residential phase in Bengaluru, selected students will work closely with our development team and gain hands-on exposure to global game development practices and projects. They will get an understanding of how games are developed for global audiences, including the workflows, standards and collaborative processes followed by professional game development teams.
Depending on the programme outcomes and subsequent engagement with KRAFTON, there may also be opportunities for selected participants to gain further exposure to KRAFTON’s global ecosystem, including its headquarters and major studios in South Korea.
KRAFTON Jungle has trained over 1,000 developers in South Korea. What were the biggest lessons from that program that you’re bringing to India?
One of the biggest learnings is that game development is best learnt by actually making games. KRAFTON Jungle has a strong focus on self-driven learning, creativity and hands-on development rather than simply following a classroom syllabus. We’re bringing that philosophy to India, while adapting the programme to our market. For example, KIGI Academy puts a strong focus on mobile game development and low-spec devices, which is particularly relevant to the Indian market.
Are there elements that have been specifically redesigned for Indian students and the Indian gaming industry?
Yes. The curriculum has been adapted for the Indian context, particularly around mobile game development and low-spec mobile development. We’ve also designed the programme around the academic environment at IIT Madras. The training is scheduled in a way that minimises disruption to students’ regular academics, and the overall programme timeline has been aligned with the institute’s academic and internship calendar.
What measurable outcomes has Jungle delivered in terms of employment, startups, or successful games?
KRAFTON Jungle has trained over 1,000 developers since it started in 2020, and we’ve seen measurable outcomes across both employment and game development. For example, across the Jungle cohorts, 195 participants went on to secure employment after completing the programme. The programme has also resulted in 19 games being released on Steam and eight Unreal Engine plugins being released on Fab.
Beyond these outcomes, the programme has helped participants transition into new career paths, with 73% of participants going on to work in IT and software-related fields. These are some of the learnings and outcomes we’re building on as we bring the KRAFTON Jungle model to India through KIGI Academy. For KIGI Academy, we will similarly look at outcomes such as the quality of games students build, the skills they develop and their progression towards employment and careers in the gaming industry.
One criticism from employers is that graduates know theory but struggle with production pipelines. How does KIGI Academy bridge that gap?
That’s actually one of the main things we’re trying to solve. Students aren’t just sitting in a classroom and learning about game development. They’re working in teams, building actual game prototypes and following a regular development cycle. Then, for the selected students, the second phase puts them inside KRAFTON India’s Bengaluru office for eight weeks, where they work alongside the development team and receive direct mentorship. So they get to experience the process of actually building and presenting a game.
What does an “industry-ready” game developer actually look like in 2026?
For us, it’s someone who can actually build something, not just talk about game development. They should understand the tools, but more importantly, they should know how to apply them, work with a team, take feedback and take a project from an idea to a working build. That’s why KIGI Academy is focused so heavily on hands-on projects and the complete development cycle. That’s also the basis on which someone would be hired as a full-time employee at the end of the program: technical ability, meaning how well they apply what they’ve learned rather than just knowing it; whether they can actually ship, judged by completed builds and the final vertical-slice project; teamwork and collaboration during the residential phase; creativity and ownership in game design decisions; and how well they take and act on feedback. Our development team assesses this directly through the eight-week Bengaluru immersion.
Which technical skills are currently hardest for gaming companies to hire in India?
The challenge is finding people who have both strong technical fundamentals and practical game development experience. There’s a strong pool of programmers in India, but game development requires applying those skills in a specific production environment: understanding the development cycle, working collaboratively, and building for specific platforms and constraints. That’s the kind of practical experience we’re trying to give students through KIGI Academy.
That’s also the basis on which someone would be hired as a full-time employee at the end of the program: proficiency in the Unity engine and C# scripting, applied in a real project rather than just known in theory; experience with the full production cycle, from concept through to a completed, playable build; the ability to build within mobile and low-spec performance constraints, which is a specific skill set of its own; collaboration inside a team-based production pipeline; and how well they take direction and iterate based on feedback. Our development team assesses this directly through the eight-week Bengaluru immersion.
Beyond coding, what soft skills are equally important for modern game development?
Teamwork and creative thinking are really important. Games are built by teams, so being able to collaborate, communicate and take feedback is critical. Students also need to be comfortable experimenting, solving problems and thinking creatively. That’s why the programme isn’t just about learning technical tools; students will work together on projects and go through the development process as a team.
You mention employment opportunities with KRAFTON India. How will candidates be evaluated?
The selection process itself is quite structured. Students apply through the IIT Madras placement portal, and we look at their interest in gaming and programming fundamentals, followed by an interview that focuses on their passion for making games and their learning mindset. They don’t need prior game development experience to apply. At the end of the programme, employment offers will be based on performance through KRAFTON’s internal evaluation process. KRAFTON will continue to monitor the success of the programme and, based on its outcomes, evaluate the scope for increasing the number of participants and employment opportunities in future cohorts.
Will graduates also be encouraged to build independent studios and startups, or is the focus primarily on employment?
Employment is an important part of the programme, and we’re targeting 2 to 5 full-time offers from the first cohort. But that’s not the only outcome we’re looking at. If students want to build something of their own, there is also a potential pathway into the KRAFTON India Gaming Incubator Program for further mentorship. So we want to give students the skills and exposure to pursue different paths within the industry.
Could KIGI Academy eventually become a talent source for the wider Indian gaming industry, including companies beyond KRAFTON?
KRAFTON’s biggest objective is to contribute to the growth of India’s game development ecosystem and help build a stronger pool of industry-ready talent. As a company that has been investing in and contributing to the gaming ecosystem in India, we see an opportunity to play a role in building this talent base. So yes, KIGI Academy can eventually become a talent source for the wider gaming industry, not just KRAFTON. While there is a direct employment pathway with KRAFTON, our larger aim is to give students the skills, practical experience and exposure they need to build careers across the industry, whether that is with KRAFTON, another studio or through building something of their own.
What prevents India from producing titles comparable to globally successful games like PUBG, Valorant, or Genshin Impact?
I don’t think it’s about one particular gap. India already has a strong talent base and a very large gaming audience, and the market is growing rapidly. According to Niko Partners, India’s gaming market crossed $1 billion in 2025, reaching $1.04 billion, up 14.8% year-on-year, and is projected to reach nearly $1.2 billion in 2026. The player base is also expected to cross 550 million this year. So the demand and the opportunity are clearly there.
What needs to develop further is the production side of the ecosystem: stronger studio capabilities, specialised talent across different functions, more original IP and, importantly, people who have experience taking a game from an idea through development and eventually to a global audience. That takes time to build. It happens one generation of trained talent at a time, and that’s where we see KIGI Academy playing an important role.
The government has spoken about AVGC-XR and digital skilling. What additional policy support would accelerate India’s game development ecosystem?
I think continued focus on industry-led skilling and stronger academia-industry collaboration can make a real difference. Students need more opportunities to get practical exposure to the industry while they’re still in college. It would also help if structured industry-led programmes could receive greater academic recognition, for example through academic credits. That’s something we’re already exploring with IIT Madras for the next phase of KIGI Academy.
Should game development become a formal specialisation within engineering education?
I think there is definitely a case for creating more structured pathways. Game development brings together programming, creative thinking, problem-solving and teamwork, so it can complement a strong engineering foundation. We don’t necessarily see it as replacing traditional engineering education, but creating more industry-led opportunities within that ecosystem could help students understand how their technical skills can translate into careers in game development.
How does India’s game development talent compare with markets like South Korea, Japan, and China?
India has a very strong base of engineering talent and one of the world’s largest gaming audiences. The country had around 511 million gamers in 2025, with the player base expected to cross 550 million in 2026 and reach over 700 million by 2030. The market is also becoming more diverse, with growing engagement beyond battle royale and casual games, alongside increasing interest in PC and console gaming, esports and UGC platforms.
Where markets like South Korea, Japan and China have an advantage is in the maturity of their game development ecosystems. They have established studios, specialised talent and deeper production experience, with a longer history of building globally successful games and IP across different genres and platforms. India is now at an important stage of developing those capabilities.
With KIGI Academy, we’re taking learnings from KRAFTON’s experience with KRAFTON Jungle in Korea and adapting them to the Indian context. The focus is on giving India’s engineering talent specialised, hands-on experience in professional game development and helping build the capabilities needed to create games for global audiences.
Ultimately, KIGI Academy represents a strategic effort to mature India’s game development ecosystem. It directly addresses the gap between theoretical engineering knowledge and practical production pipelines. Basically, it immerses students in real-world development cycles culminating in an eight-week residential phase at KRAFTON’s Bengaluru headquarters.
The program ensures graduates possess the technical proficiency, teamwork, and creative problem-solving skills demanded by modern studios. Whether these developers go on to secure full-time roles at KRAFTON, contribute to the wider Indian gaming industry, or incubate their own original IPs, they will form the crucial next generation of talent needed to transform India into a global game development powerhouse.
