KIGI Cohort 4 Applications Open: KRAFTON Expands Game Support
KRAFTON India opened applications for KIGI Cohort 4 today, and the eligibility list looks different from every cohort that came before it. Mobile titles already in beta or soft launch can now apply. PC games with a live Steam demo pulling real community traction can now apply. Early-stage teams with nothing but an idea can still apply too, exactly as they always could.
And that's important because KIGI isn't moving away from its original approach. The incubator built its reputation backing concepts before they had proof. Cohort 4 doesn't walk that back. It simply opens the door to games that have already made progress, without closing it on developers who are just getting started.
Two tracks, one incubator
Since launching in 2023, KIGI has provided financial assistance, mentorship, and access to KRAFTON's resources, helping developers turn their ideas into something real. Cohort 4 keeps that track fully open and builds a second one next to it, for studios whose games have already reached beta, soft launch, or the Steam demo stage and need the next push rather than the first one.
Anuj Sahani, Head of the KRAFTON India Incubator Program, said the goal has always been to back India's promising developers with the resources and guidance needed to build globally competitive titles. Cohort 4 continues supporting early ideas and first-time teams while also opening the door to games that are already finding their footing.
Sean Hyunil Sohn, CEO of KRAFTON India, connected the move to the growing momentum in India's game development ecosystem, pointing to more creators building for global audiences at every stage of development, not just at the start.
The proof is already on Steam
This is not KIGI making a bet with no track record behind it. Cohort 1 studios have already completed successful soft launches. Cohort 2 studio Singular Scheme, based in Mumbai, turned Frontier Paladin into the incubator's first PC title to launch on Steam, going live on April 24, 2026.
Cohort 3, announced that same April from a pool of roughly 1,000 applications, brought in four more studios: Xod Games Studio, EvolX Games, Ether Games, and RedDevil Studio.
Ten studios across Cohorts 1 and 2 nationwide, a third cohort actively building, and a first PC launch already live. That is the foundation Cohort 4 is expanding from, not replacing.
What studios actually get
KIGI provides selected studios with $50,000 to $150,000 in financial assistance, mentorship from industry veterans across India, South Korea, and other major gaming hubs, and opportunities to explore publishing deals, venture capital funding, or potential equity investment from KRAFTON.
Applications for Cohort 4 opened on September 22, 2026, through the KRAFTON India website. Whether a studio walks in with a live Steam demo attracting community interest or with nothing but an early-stage concept, the door is now the same one.
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