KRAFTON India Launches KIGI Academy in Collaboration with IIT Madras
On 1 September 2026, KRAFTON India signed a memorandum of understanding with the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) to launch KIGI Academy, an industry‑academia initiative aimed at building India’s game‑development talent ecosystem. The six‑month, fully funded programme comprises a four‑month on‑site learning phase at the IIT Madras campus followed by a two‑month immersive residency at KRAFTON India’s headquarters in Bengaluru.
The inaugural cohort will consist of 30 IIT Madras students drawn from third‑ and fourth‑year B.Tech, dual‑degree, postgraduate and Master’s programmes across all engineering disciplines, with no prior game‑development experience required. A structured selection process—online application via the IIT Madras placement portal, screening, and personal interview—will identify 10 students for the residential phase.
During the 16‑week on‑site phase, participants will receive hands‑on training in coding, game design, UI/UX, art and product development using the Unity engine, with a focus on mobile gaming and weekly collaborative builds. The subsequent 8‑week residency will expose participants to real‑world production processes, culminating in the development and showcase of a final vertical‑slice game. Industry experts will mentor the cohort throughout, and exceptional performers will be offered full‑time positions at KRAFTON India.
Anuj Sahni, Head of KRAFTON Incubator Program & Director Publishing, emphasized that the programme creates a structured pathway bridging academic learning with practical game‑development realities. Saurabh Shah, Head of People Operations, highlighted the initiative’s role in identifying early talent and creating career opportunities within the gaming ecosystem. Prof. Prathap Haridoss, Dean of Academic Courses at IIT Madras, noted the collaboration’s potential to foster innovation by combining academic rigor with industry expertise.
KIGI Academy builds on KRAFTON’s established training legacy in Korea, where the KRAFTON Jungle programme launched in October 2022 and aims to train 1,000 developers annually through an intensive, project‑based residency. Jungle mentors will also support KIGI participants.
KRAFTON India, the publisher of the flagship title Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) with over 260 million downloads, maintains a diverse portfolio that includes Bullet Echo India, Road To Valor: Empires, CookieRun India and Real Cricket. Since 2021, the company has invested more than US$250 million in Indian startups across interactive entertainment, gaming, esports and technology, and has created the KRAFTON India Unicorn Growth Fund—a Rs 6,000 crore fund jointly established with South Korean technology group Naver and financial services firm Mirae Asset—to accelerate high‑potential startups.
IIT Madras, ranked No. 1 among engineering institutions in India for ten consecutive years by the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) and recognized as an Institution of Eminence in 2019, brings a strong academic foundation and entrepreneurial culture to the partnership.