BANGALORE: KRAFTON India today announced the launch of the 2026–27 KRAFTON India Esports College Campus Tour, which kicked off on October 10 from IIT Kharagpur and IIT Varanasi. The new edition will reach 256 colleges across India, twice the number covered in the previous edition, taking competitive esports to more campuses across the country. The Campus Tour will run from October 2026 to March 2027, with 64 colleges participating across each of the North, South, East and West regions.
The expansion builds on the strong response to last year’s Campus Tour, which reached 128 colleges and engaged over 75,000 students across the country. This year, KRAFTON India will bring BGMI and Real Cricket tournaments to twice as many campuses, giving more college students the opportunity to compete, represent their colleges and experience organised esports at the campus level.
The tournaments will be held in collaboration with Nodwin Gaming and Upthrust Esports and will be aligned with college festivals to make it easier for students to participate. Events will be managed by college festival committees with support from the tournament organisers, while KRAFTON India will provide the prize pool.
Speaking about the expansion, Karan Pathak, Associate Director – Esports, KRAFTON India, said, “Last year, we saw how much interest there is among college students for competitive gaming, with the Campus Tour reaching 128 colleges and engaging over 75,000 students. This year, we are taking that a step further by reaching 256 colleges across the country. We want to give more students the chance to experience competitive gaming at their own campuses, compete with other colleges and, for the strongest teams, progress to the next level. With BGMI and Real Cricket, we are looking forward to another exciting season across campuses in India.”
The Campus Tour will also give participating teams a chance to progress through a structured competitive journey. Winners from the participating colleges will move through zonal rounds, culminating in the Grand Finals, with the top teams progressing to the College Campus Championship. The championship will bring together 16 teams, with the winning team receiving a direct invitation to the invited stage of KRAFTON India’s official tournaments in 2027.
The 2026–27 KRAFTON India Esports College Campus Tour will run from October 2026 to March 2027, expanding the reach of collegiate esports and bringing competitive gaming closer to students across India.
About KRAFTON, Inc.
Headquartered in Korea, KRAFTON, Inc. is a global game developer and publisher dedicated to pioneering unforgettable worlds for players everywhere. Founded in 2007, KRAFTON brings together a diverse portfolio of studios including PUBG STUDIOS, Striking Distance Studios, Unknown Worlds, Neon Giant, KRAFTON Montréal Studio, Bluehole Studio, RisingWings, 5minlab, Dreamotion, ReLU Games, Flyway Games, Tango Gameworks, inZOI Studio, JOFSOFT, Eleventh Hour Games, OmniCraft Labs, Olivetree Games, Loonshot Games, and 9B STUDIO. Each is united by a commitment to bold imagination and breakthrough game-making. KRAFTON’s franchises and titles include PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS, PUBG MOBILE, PUBG: BLINDSPOT, inZOI, Subnautica, MIMESIS, Hi-Fi Rush, Dinkum, TERA, My Little Puppy, and more. Guided by its vision to pioneer the path to players’ dreams, KRAFTON is focused on building franchises that last and delivering experiences that resonate with players around the world.
About KRAFTON India
KRAFTON India is responsible for delivering premier mobile gaming experiences in the country, led by its flagship title BATTLEGROUNDS MOBILE INDIA (BGMI), which has surpassed 260 million downloads. Its diverse portfolio also includes titles such as Road To Valor: Empires, CookieRun India, and Real Cricket, catering to a wide spectrum of Indian gamers. KRAFTON India has also played a pivotal role in shaping the country’s esports landscape through marquee tournaments such as BGIS and BMPS, setting new benchmarks for development of grassroot talent, competitiveness, and fan engagement, while helping establish esports as a mainstream sporting and entertainment category in India. Beyond publishing games, KRAFTON India is committed to strengthening the digital entertainment ecosystem. Since 2021, the company has invested over $250 million in Indian startups across interactive entertainment, gaming, esports, and technology. Additionally, KRAFTON has also launched the ₹6,000 crore KRAFTON India Unicorn Growth Fund with Naver and Mirae Asset to support high-potential startups. The company also actively supports game development talent through the KRAFTON India Gaming Incubator (KIGI), currently in its fourth cohort, enabling emerging developers with funding, mentorship, and strategic guidance. Recently, KRAFTON launched the KIGI Academy, new industry-academia initiative designed to build India’s game development talent ecosystem, in association with IIT Chennai.
