‘PUBG’ studio Krafton’s ‘InZoi’ on track to break sales records

Krafton Inc. posted a better-than-expected 47% jump in quarterly earnings and revealed the Sims-like InZoi has become its fastest-selling title.

InZoi launched in early access on March 28 and sold a million copies in its first week, Chief Financial Officer Bae Dongkeun said. Krafton hopes the game, which lets players control avatars in a virtual world, will anchor a broader effort to expand beyond its best-known PUBG franchise. The publisher plans to release Subnautica 2 via early access in the second half of this year with “high expectations” given its predecessor sold about 8 million copies, Bae added on an earnings call. 

The Seoul-based publisher reported operating income of 457.3 billion won ($318 million) in the March quarter, surpassing the 384.7 billion won projected by analysts. Revenue also rose a stronger-than-expected 31% to 874.2 billion won.

Krafton, whose shares are up about 90% since the start of 2024, is working on diversifying its portfolio. It remains heavily reliant on multiplayer online shooter PUBG, which it is expanding into other forms of media and entertainment beyond its gaming roots.

Krafton is on the lookout for investments in other game studios and intellectual property as a means to bolster its position in the global market. It’s become one of the most acquisitive companies in India in recent years, the world’s most populous nation. Chief Executive Officer Kim Changhan said at its last earnings call in February that Krafton aims to reach 7 trillion won in revenue in five years — a roughly 160% increase from its 2.7 trillion won in 2024.

Krafton’s strong player engagement for its newly launched InZoi game — which challenges the dominance of Electronic Arts’ The Sims 4 in the life simulation genre — could potentially catalyze its sales and profit next year when it’s launched officially. 

Krafton invested $170 million in the Indian market as of November 2024, and might remain acquisitive there; in August 2023 it earmarked an additional $150 million for the market.