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PUBG is alive and well as franchise reports revenue record
There have been doubts about PUBG’s relevance in the modern age of gaming over the course of 2024. However, the game continues to be a financial powerhouse for Krafton, as the company recently announced record-breaking revenue and profit for 2024.
According to Krafton, sales soared by 41.8% year-over-year to ₩2.7 trillion ($1.9 billion). Meanwhile, operating profit increased by 54%, reaching ₩1.2 trillion ($812 million). The numbers surely defy the “Is PUBG dead?” discourse that occasionally trends in gaming circles.
While PUBG’s player base may no longer be at its peak, those who remain are highly engaged. Active players look to be more inclined to spend money on PUBG, which has been a primary goal for Krafton since its free-to-play switch in 2022.
The financial boost wasn’t just limited to the PC and console versions. The reports also highlighted the importance of PUBG’s mobile ecosystem. In particular, Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) saw a 35.7% year-over-year increase in sales. Mobile remains Krafton’s most lucrative platform, accounting for 62.4% of total revenue in 2024.
While PC revenue grew at a faster rate—up 61.3% to ₩941.9 billion ($648.3 million)—mobile still brought in the most money, making it the pillarstone of the PUBG ecosystem. The franchise’s mobile monetization strategy with loot boxes and in-game cosmetics continues to be home runs as developers continue to push out gameplay and cosmetic content.
Considering many new live-service games have been struggling to stay afloat in recent years, PUBG’s successful strategies deserve praise. Krafton also looks to double down on PUBG’s success while also establishing new franchises. The company has multiple PUBG-related projects in development, which aim to add more depth to the PUBG universe.
Krafton also has not-PUBG-related projects cooking under its roof, like Dark and Darker Mobile, Subnautica 2, and the life sim Inzoi. While it’s currently unclear how successful these games will be, it looks like PUBG will continue to be Krafton’s primary revenue driver for the upcoming years. During this time, PUBG is likely to see a plethora of content updates, filled with seasonal events and new gameplay content. In the meantime, Krafton should have plenty of resources to develop new IPs and titles to potentially expand into new markets.