PUBG maker Krafton mulls potential IPO this year, report says

The share sale could raise billions of dollars, Krafton CEO Kim Chang-han said in an interview in Seoul. The IPO could also push the startup’s valuation to 30 trillion won (US$27.2 billion), according to a report by Eugene Investment and Securities.

Released in 2017, PUBG is one of the most popular games, selling over 70 million copies of the PC and console versions, along with its mobile version being downloaded about 600 million times.

The potential listing will also fuel South Korea’s record fundraising, with online lender KakaoBank Corp and LG Chem’s battery unit set to conduct their initial share sales in 2021, according to a January report also by Eugene Investment and Securities.

For its future plans, Krafton’s chief exec said the company is looking to make movies and dramas and is also creating an animated show, which will be broadcasted on streaming services. The company is also open to acquisitions in these areas, he added.

This year, the gaming firm is planning on releasing a new battle royale mobile title that will be based on PUBG. By 2022, Krafton said it would come up with another PUBG-related PC and console game and a survival horror game that will depict the PUBG universe three centuries into the future.