KRAFTON India has launched KIGI Academy, an industry-academia program built to train the country’s next generation of game developers. The company signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) to run the academy’s first batch. Students selected for the program will train in coding, game design, UI/UX, art, and product development. The six-month course is fully funded and includes a residency at KRAFTON India’s Bengaluru office.
Here is everything KRAFTON India has confirmed about the KIGI Academy, including its structure, eligibility criteria, and selection process.
KIGI Academy Program Structure and Duration
The KIGI Academy runs for six months and splits into two phases. The first phase lasts four months and takes place on the IIT Madras campus. Students then move to an 8-week residency at KRAFTON India’s headquarters in Bengaluru.
During the 16-week campus phase, students build core game development skills using the Unity engine. The training focuses on mobile gaming and includes weekly collaborative builds. The Bengaluru residency exposes participants to real-world game production. Each student works toward a final vertical-slice game, which they showcase at the end of the program.
Eligibility and Selection Process
KIGI Academy will admit 30 students in its first cohort. Of these, 10 will move on to the Bengaluru residency after the campus phase.
The program is open to IIT Madras students only for this batch. Eligible applicants include third-year and fourth-year Bachelor’s students, Dual Degree students across all years, and postgraduate or Master’s students from any engineering discipline. No prior game development experience is required.
Selection happens in three steps. Students apply through the IIT Madras placement portal, go through application screening, and then sit for a personal interview.
What Students Learn and Career Opportunities
Participants get mentorship from industry experts throughout the program and get exposure to KRAFTON’s internal development standards. Students who perform well during the residency may also receive full-time job offers at KRAFTON India.
KIGI Academy Builds on KRAFTON Jungle in Korea
KIGI Academy takes inspiration from KRAFTON Jungle, a training program KRAFTON has run in Korea since October 2022. KRAFTON Jungle uses project-based residencies instead of classroom lectures, taking developers through a full game development cycle from prototype to launch. The company aims to scale that Korean program to train 1,000 developers every year.
Mentors from the Jungle program will also guide developers selected for KIGI Academy, connecting the two training models across markets.
Why KRAFTON India Chose IIT Madras
IIT Madras has held the No. 1 rank among India’s engineering institutions for 10 consecutive years under the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF). KRAFTON India said the institute was picked as the founding partner because of an existing multi-year relationship built through Rendezvous, technical festivals, and game jams, which has already led to full-time job offers for IIT Madras students in the past.
What KRAFTON India and IIT Madras Said
Anuj Sahni, Head of KRAFTON Incubator Program and Director of Publishing at KRAFTON India, said the country has strong engineering and creative talent but lacked a structured path connecting academic learning to real game development work. He said KIGI Academy aims to close that gap by giving students a chance to learn the full game-making process, from ideation to publishing, under industry guidance.
Saurabh Shah, Head of People Operations at KRAFTON India, said the program is meant to identify promising talent early and connect students to careers in game development through mentorship and hands-on training.
Prof. Prathap Haridoss, Dean of Academic Courses at IIT Madras, said the collaboration reflects how academia and industry can work together on practical challenges, giving students direct exposure to the game development process.
