It’s been months since PUBG Mobile was banned in India, and avid players still mourn the loss of their favorite pass time all the time. Over this time, Indian users of the game have received tons of news regarding its re-entry in the country-some good, some bad. Today’s announcement falls into the former category, as PUBG Mobile Developer Krafton has invested $22.4 million in Indian esports firm Nodwin Gaming.
“Esports will be a key pillar to the growth of sports entertainment in the future. It sits at a wonderful intersection of sports, entertainment and technology where nations such as India can pave the path. With Krafton coming on board, we have an endorsement from the mecca of gaming and esports — South Korea — on what we are building from India for the world based on our competence in mobile first markets,” said Akshat Rathee, co-founder and managing director of Nodwin Gaming, in a statement.
The announcement does not have anything directly related to PUBG coming back to India. Instead, this is an attempt by Krafton to still retain some presence in what used to be its biggest market, even after the ban.
The South Korean gaming developer has been trying to get back into the region for a long time now, going as far as to cut ties with Tencent-one of the biggest gaming companies in the world, to assure the Indian government that PUBG is a safe bet. Krafton also partnered with Microsoft and its Azure platform to provide better cloud security to the game’s users.
The company said that it will in fact be making a comeback in India under the title of ‘PUBG Mobile India,’ specifically curated for the Indian audience that will ensure data security for the players and adhere to the local regulations. Moreover, it vowed to invest $100 million in the country to “to cultivate the local video game, e-sports, entertainment, and IT industries”.
However, the announcement was in November last year, and so far, there have been no signs of the game coming back.
Thus, a possible partnership with an Indian gaming company might help Krafton seem more innocuous and trust worthy, and may pave the way for the return of the game some time in the near future.
Nodwin Gaming is an e-sports firm based in India, and has managed to form partnerships with some of the biggest companies in the gaming world, including Blizzard Entertainment, Valve, Riot Games and ESL. It helps its partners by helping them host events, provide commentary, produce and license content, and amass brands and sponsors.
Nodwin plans to use this new found capital to accelerate its growth in international markets.
