Krafton said Thursday Battlegrounds developer Kim Chang-han has officially become new CEO after being appointed by shareholders and the board of directors in March. He will head both the company and its subsidiary PUBG Corp.

Krafton is the parent company of game studios PUBG, Bluehole, Pnix, Red Sahara, Delusion and En Masse Entertainment.

According to Krafton, Kim, who is the developer of PUBG’s eponymous game PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, officially assumed the post of Krafton’s CEO at an inauguration ceremony held at its headquarters in Pangyo on Thursday.

“My role is to help Krafton become a globally recognized game company, capable of creating masterpieces as successful as PUBG. I will also consolidate the reputation Krafton has as a true maker of masterpieces by establishing an appropriate environment and by fostering and recruiting talents,” Kim said.

The new leadership is viewed by the game industry as Krafton Chairman Chang Byung-kyu’s strategy to raise the company’s market valuation for its rumored year-end initial public offering.

Kim served as executive producer at what was then called Bluehole Ginno Games -- now PUBG -- in 2015, where he oversaw the development of PUBG, which has gone on to sell 65 million copies worldwide.

By Kim Byung-wook (kbw@heraldcorp.com)