In the light of the recent ban imposed on PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG)-Mobile by the Indian Government citing user data privacy issues, PUBG Corporation has decided to pull out of the partnership with Tencent Games in India, in an attempt to preserve its largest user base by numbers.
Announcing the same in an official blog post, PUBG Corporation stated, “In light of recent developments, PUBG Corporation has made the decision to no longer authorize the PUBG MOBILE franchise to Tencent Games in India. Moving forward, PUBG Corporation will take on all publishing responsibilities within the country. As the company explores ways to provide its own PUBG experience for India in the near future, it is committed to doing so by sustaining a localized and healthy gameplay environment for its fans”.
The developer was already in charge of publishing the game on PC and console platforms. However, it partnered with Tencent games to distribute PUBG Mobile and PUBG Mobile Lite on Android and iOS, due to the massive support that a corporation like Tencent can provide. But then came India’s ban, which resulted in an outright wiping of nearly 40% of PUBG Mobile’s entire userbase. India had banned the game following continued tensions across the Indo-China border, incited due to multiple transgressions by the Chinese army.
PUBG corporation said that it respects the government’s decision to ban the game and is actively monitoring the situation. It is also hoping to work out a way with the Indian government to bring back the game in the Indian market while being respectful of the Indian laws. There is no clarity, as to whether PUBG Mobile will get back on the app stores or not. But with the Chinese tag going away, this could very well be the possibility.
PUBG Corporation is also exploring ways to engage more with the gaming community in India through various region-based activities, including esports, and community events.
This might come as a setback to the Indian battle royale game in development, FAU-G, which looked to capitalize on the newfound opportunity post the game’s ban in India.
