Krafton India made a co-branding announcement today when it welcomed the face of Bollywood, Deepika Padukone. She is the new brand ambassador for the Battlegrounds Mobile India franchise commonly known as, PUBG.
The association will see Padukone becoming a playable character and also introducing some exclusive items inspired by her style in-game. Soon, fans will be able to interact with two unique in-game skins inspired by Padukone's persona.
She says, "It's an exciting opportunity to join this new journey with the BGMI family. Gaming has become a cultural phenomenon in India, and I'm excited to connect with the incredible energy of the gaming community. I look forward to seeing how my fans react to the in-game avatar and exclusive items!" stated Deepika Padukone while releasing her in-game avatar.
Sean Hyunil Sohn, CEO of Krafton India said, "We are excited to partner with Deepika Padukone, a global icon, in delivering unforgettable moments to our players and pushing boundaries and efforts to bring in fresh experiences for our BGMI fans. We aim for this collaboration, introducing Deepika as the key figure between the gaming world and her, to create a new, truly immersive world for those in the BGMI universe."
Krafton has had numerous collaborations with different artists in the past when it was localizing BGMI in India. It collaborated with Ranveer Singh, among others. Ranveer Singh is available in-game as a playable character with two special avatars and unique emotes. The game also offered an exclusive Discovery event with Ranveer Singh, which allowed players to avail in-game items and tokens.
This is not the first time PUBG characters have been inspired by celebrities from the real world. Many characters in PUBG Mobile are modeled after personalities from the real world, and that taste of familiarity makes the game nice. Right from Hollywood stars to iconic actors, these characters bring a real-world flair to the virtual battlefield. Here's a look at some PUBG characters and their real-life inspirations:
1. Milla Jovovich inspired the character Alice.
2. Jadyn Wong inspired the character Diondra.
3. Angelina Jolie inspired the character Mia.
4. Rosario Dawson influenced the character Sonia.
5. Natalie Portman-Inspired the character Jill.
6. Gal Gadot-Perhaps inspired the character Sara.
7. Daniel Dae Kim-Influenced the character Jae.
8. Thomas Jane inspired the character Frank.
9. Javier Bardem-Influenced the character Rafael.
10. Idris Elba-Inspired the character Darius.
While trying to woo celebrities for collaborations, Krafton has been able to upgrade BGMI through support from Dolby Atmos and is being seen as a serious investment firm for the Indian gaming industry. The company invested $150 million into Indian gaming startups and has also set up the Krafton India Gaming Incubator to help local game developers grow.