Krafton (259960) is accelerating its push into physical artificial intelligence through strategic deployment of top executives and partnerships with global tech giants. The gaming company aims to leverage robotics software technology to establish AI as a new growth engine while creating synergies with its core gaming business.
According to industry sources on the 11th, Krafton CEO Kim Chang-han was recently appointed chief executive of Ludo Robotics, a California-based company. Founded in November last year in the San Francisco Bay Area, a global hub for technological innovation, Ludo Robotics develops intelligent systems for robots. The company has outlined plans to create "robot brains" using large-scale data analysis and machine learning. On the 20th of last month, a Korean subsidiary was established under the US headquarters, and the company is currently recruiting robotics engineers and specialists in machine learning and human-robot interaction (HRI).
Kim's decision to personally serve as CEO of the US subsidiary signals more than a simple research and development investment—it reflects a strong commitment to creating practical technologies that can integrate with Krafton's games. Krafton's Chief AI Officer (CAIO) Lee Kang-wook, who oversees the company's AI division, has assumed the roles of Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Ludo Robotics and head of the Korean subsidiary, establishing an integrated cooperation framework between the two companies. Krafton's AI division will also provide full support for Ludo Robotics' research and development.
Krafton plans to utilize the vast data accumulated through game operations as a foundation for physical AI and robotics development. The company aims to maximize the quality of AI-based interactive content, with Ludo Robotics at the center. The company expects to build a "virtuous cycle" where advanced simulation capabilities developed through operating virtual worlds in games such as "Battlegrounds" and "inZOI" support iterative experiments for physical AI technology.
Company-wide efforts to secure new growth drivers in physical AI continue. In May last year, the company established a "Physical AI Team" under its AI division to research humanoid robotics technology, and participated as a core member of the "SK Telecom elite team" in a government-led proprietary AI foundation model project. The company is also advancing AI commercialization, including unveiling the "CPC (Cooperatively Playable Characters)" AI collaboration model co-developed with Nvidia.
A Krafton official explained, "The advanced technologies developed by Ludo Robotics will be extended and applied across Krafton's game development and the broader AI ecosystem in the future."
