Krafton (259960.KS) is rolling out aggressive collaboration marketing with industries ranging from animation to automobiles. The strategy aims to provide users of its flagship intellectual property (IP) franchise "PUBG: Battlegrounds" with new experiences, easing fatigue with a single IP and reinvigorating the service.
According to industry sources Tuesday, Krafton is drawing attention as the most active player in collaboration marketing among major Korean game companies. A large-scale partnership with Kia (000270.KS), launched in the middle of this month, is a prime example. The two companies are jointly hosting a brand experience event linking online and offline channels, placing Kia's latest electric vehicle lineup inside the mobile shooter "Battlegrounds Mobile" while creating a complex experience space in Seoul's Seongsu-dong that brings the game's worldview to life.
Through July 9, the game will offer "Special Boxes" containing vehicle items featuring designs from three of Kia's new EV models — the EV3, EV4 and PV5 Passenger. The collaboration precisely reproduces not only the actual vehicles' interior and exterior designs but also Kia's signature brand sound, allowing users to indirectly experience the cars by using them as in-game transportation.
An experiential pop-up store called "Sector 8," which recreates the virtual battlefield offline, will run through June 25. The pop-up is being held simultaneously at two Seongsu-dong venues, "PUBG Seongsu" and "Kia Unplugged Ground," offering visitors a differentiated offline experience that fuses Battlegrounds Mobile with Kia.
A collaboration with the globally popular soccer animation "BLUE LOCK" adds further interest. Through July 1, users can engage with various in-game content reflecting Blue Lock's fiercely competitive worldview and the bold personalities of its elite strikers. Players can obtain set items modeled after key characters, and Blue Lock themes are also applied to vehicle and equipment skins.
Battlegrounds Mobile has previously partnered with companies spanning various genres and fields, including the popular animation "Catch! Teenieping," German hypercar brand Apollo Automobil and Korea's iconic character brand Kakao Friends. The strategy is to maximize the product life cycle (PLC) by continuously offering users differentiated character and brand experiences.
"Collaborations with various globally renowned IPs deliver unprecedented fresh enjoyment to gamers, while giving participating brands an opportunity to expand their points of contact with the younger generation, who are future potential customers," an industry official said. "Beyond simple one-off events, this is establishing itself as a representative 'win-win' marketing model in which both sides benefit."
