Krafton Enters Third Term Under CEO Changhan Kim... Accelerates Transition to a Franchise IP Company

Krafton Holds Annual General Shareholders' Meeting

Chairman Byunggyu Jang and CEO Changhan Kim Reappointed

Focus on Securing Additional IPs and Enhancing Shareholder Returns

Krafton is strengthening the service competitiveness of "PUBG: Battlegrounds," which celebrates its 9th anniversary this year, while also working to reduce its reliance on a single intellectual property (IP) and accelerating its transformation into a franchise IP company.

Changhan Kim, CEO of Krafton. Provided by Krafton

Changhan Kim, CEO of Krafton, stated at the 19th annual general shareholders' meeting held at the Korea Science and Technology Center in Gangnam-gu, Seoul on March 24, "We aim to become a company that achieves results through multiple franchise IPs, rather than being content with a single success." At the meeting, Krafton founder Chairman Byunggyu Jang and CEO Kim, also known as the "father of Battlegrounds," were both reappointed as inside directors. Krafton is thus entering its third term under CEO Kim's leadership.

Last year, the Battlegrounds IP achieved double-digit growth, resulting in Krafton's highest-ever revenue of 3.3266 trillion won. This month, the game once again surpassed 1.3 million concurrent users, maintaining strong momentum. CEO Kim remarked, "This is a franchise IP that has evolved as a live service while maintaining its identity for a long time." He added, "Through Battlegrounds, Krafton has accumulated know-how in stably managing a large user base, which has become a source of our competitiveness."

However, the company still faces the limitation of not being able to break out of the "Battlegrounds-only" structure. While new titles such as "inZoi" and "Mimesis" have each recorded sales of over 1 million copies, the overwhelming presence of Battlegrounds remains. In response, CEO Kim expressed his determination to actively secure additional franchise IPs. He emphasized plans to introduce a variety of new titles through collaboration with global IPs and technological advancement.

The company is also making efforts to boost its share price. Starting this year, Krafton will implement its largest-ever shareholder return policy, committing 1 trillion won over the next three years through 2028. The plan involves acquiring and then fully retiring treasury shares. From 2023 to 2025, the company returned a total of 693 billion won through treasury share buybacks and retirement. For the first time, Krafton has also introduced cash dividends, distributing 100 billion won annually for three years, totaling 300 billion won.

Additionally, Krafton is expanding its business into the field of artificial intelligence (AI). Last year, the company established a U.S. subsidiary called LudoRobotics, and more recently, it announced plans to jointly develop physical AI technology and set up a joint venture (JV) with Hanwha Aerospace.

Meanwhile, at the shareholders' meeting, groundwork was also laid to allow for electronic general meetings in line with upcoming amendments to the Commercial Act. Starting next year, shareholders will be able to participate in resolutions remotely. A proposal to cap the number of directors at seven, replacing the previous requirement of at least three directors, was also approved.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.