Krafton's Srinjoy Das at GPS 2025: Future of gaming marketing is symbiotic, social, and surprise-driven
At Storyboard18's Global Pioneers Summit, Srinjoy Das, Associate Director of Marketing, Krafton India and Rahul Mathew, Chief Creative Officer & Executive Director, DDB Mudra Group discussed how creativity, community building, and brand partnerships are shaping the future of gaming in India.
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India’s gaming industry is evolving at breakneck speed. With thriving communities and brands vying for attention, the next level looks like a massive opportunity for brands, storytellers, and communities to co-create. At Storyboard18's Global Pioneers Summit, Srinjoy Das, Associate Director of Marketing, Krafton India and Rahul Mathew, Chief Creative Officer & Executive Director, DDB Mudra Group discussed how creativity, community building, and brand partnerships are shaping the future of gaming in India.
Das stated, "We’re now a nearly $4 billion industry, with over 750 million internet users. Gaming was always poised to take center stage. At Krafton, BGMI was an early adopter at the cusp of India’s internet revolution, and that gave us a massive amount of community and brand love to work with. When brands engage with us now, the possibilities are vast. For example, an auto company recently integrated one of their car models directly into our game. Think about that—driving inside a high-emotion, high-involvement environment like a video game. It creates a deep emotional attachment to the brand.
While addressing the importance of marketing in gaming, Mathew reflected, "Gaming has become more than entertainment—it’s a cultural and social phenomenon. From a creative standpoint, brands need to integrate into gaming ecosystems without disrupting the user experience."
"The most amazing thing about gaming is how immersive it is. When a gamer is in, you’ve got 100% of their attention. But that also means brands must be authentic. Communities will reject you if you don’t align with who they are. It’s like what happened with LGBTQ+ representation. Initially, brands jumped in because it was the "right" thing. But eventually, communities asked, “Why are you talking to me? What are you really doing for us?” That reckoning will come to gaming too. The sooner brands start respecting and understanding the community, the longer their journey in gaming will last," Mathew explained.
On storytelling in the gaming world, Mathew noted, "There’s no one-size-fits-all approach. You just have to be interesting and relevant to the community. Gaming gives you enormous insights—stories, data, behaviors. You can customize stories to individual players based on how they behave in-game. That’s powerful."
"When I did my first campaign for BGMI three years ago, I was blown away. The commitment of the community is insane. Sometimes, all we need to do is drop something and step back—it takes on a life of its own. Recently, we found a couple who met and fell in love through BGMI. Not just friendships—actual love stories are emerging from this space. So we’re organizing a real wedding inside the game for them. It’ll be a hybrid offline-online event, complete with baraat, mehendi, and sangeet. We’re redesigning maps with the community to create a full shaadi experience," Mathew added.
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Offering his perspective on gaming as a cultural platform, Das observed, "BGMI today isn’t just a game—it’s a cultural platform. When people play, they talk about everything: canteen gossip, friends, life. It’s becoming a space for bonding and expression. Sometimes I switch on voice chat just to hear what people are saying. They’re not discussing gameplay—they’re building connections. We’re unintentionally giving Tinder a run for its money! But jokes aside, this is an incredibly emotional space. Millions of people will watch that wedding—not on YouTube or Instagram—but inside the game."
Turning the focus to Indianization and Cultural Relevance of gaming, Das pointed out," For us, localization goes beyond language. For example, we’ve introduced voice commands in regional languages—Gujarati, Bengali, and more. That’s just one layer. We also partner with Indian brands—auto companies, QSRs, fashion labels—to bring their presence into the game’s menus and environments. Players can wear sherwanis or even play as Ranveer Singh, one of our ambassadors."
"We’ve created full shows based on the game, not just product placements. One of our series has an IMDb rating of 8.8 and millions of views. Last Diwali, we told a story of four friends from different parts of India who became a squad through BGMI. That short film earned 10 million views and was shortlisted at Spikes Asia. So yes, for us, localization is full Indianization. The "I" in BGMI stands for India," Das shared.
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Shedding light on gamification of culture, Mathew noted, "It’s not just brands participating in culture—it’s games gamifying culture. Language, fashion, even memes come out of this world. Words like “OP” (overpowered) come from gaming, and now Gen Z uses it across social media. That’s deep cultural integration. If brands want to tap into this, they need to live the culture. Our teams are led by actual gamers. They tell us what will work—and what won’t."
While discussing the future of BGMI and Indian Gaming, Das reflected, "You can’t rest. Attention spans are short, and competition is relentless. That’s why we break traditional marketing rules. Instead of 2–3 campaigns a year, we do 20–30. We’re planning everything from an anime series, to feature updates, and engagement-driven campaigns where YouTube, Instagram, and in-game experiences are all interconnected."
"The future of gaming marketing is symbiotic, social, and surprise-driven," Das added.
More about the Storyboard18 Global Pioneers Summit
The Global Pioneers Summit is a celebration and exploration of the transformative potential of creativity, empowering individuals and businesses to think differently, act boldly, and craft a future that resonates with purpose and vision. Creativity is not just about artistic expression — it is a force for solving real-world problems, innovating products, and creating connections in ways that traditional methods cannot. And there are pioneers behind this shift, who have dared to think different.
The Global Pioneers Summit stands as a premier celebration of the visionary forces propelling businesses forward, spotlighting the global brands emerging from India — an ever-growing hub of creativity and innovation on the world stage.
From groundbreaking innovations to impactful storytelling, key decision-makers and innovators from business, marketing, advertising, tech, and academia exchange insights, build connections, and draw inspiration from some of the most compelling work driving industries forward globally.
In today's rapidly evolving world, creativity can be a powerful force to drive business growth, shape industries, and influence societal behavior, culture, and values. Storyboard18 Global Pioneers Summit puts the spotlight on the true purpose and power of creativity and the pioneers leading the way.
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