After being banned in India last year as the country severed business ties with China in face of rising threat to national security and user safety concerns, makers of the popular mobile game PUBG (short for Player Unknown’s Battleground) had said that they will soon be releasing a new version of the game, that will be India-friendly. This meant that it would cut down on gore (including blood effects), and the nudity and violence too, will be reduced. The launch of the new version, made for India, was first teased back in November last year. However, post that first instance, PUBG Studio had opted to remain quiet, until today.
A short video teaser of the PUBG Mobile India version was released on the official YouTube channel of the Indian branch of the firm, before being taken down in a jiffy. It didn’t do much to enlighten users (who are very eagerly anticipating its release), as it did not provide any information regarding the release date or even an expected time frame. Nevertheless, the teaser strongly suggests that the app will be back in the Indian market soon.
Back when it was revealed that PUBG’s parent company Krafton had decided to cut ties with Chinese partner Tencent, users had had high hopes that the game will be back soon. However, the government had refused to re-grant it access to Indian market. It was only in March this year that the company finally received the government’s nod to release a toned down version, especially amid reports of massive PUBG addiction among the youth.
This news comes along with the announcement of the company’s new project-PUBG New State. Pre-registration for the same is underway, and PUBG fans from all over the world are queueing up to receive the notification when the app is officially launched. However, the game is based on the conventional PUBG methodology (with much violence and nudity), it seems, and so, Indian users sadly cannot pre-register. The new game will offer players the option to enhance the performance of their weapon arsenal, once they learn how to use the customization kit. The press release by the company said, “These kits will transform weapons in different ways, such as performance enhancements, fire mode selection, and grenade launcher attachments.” Additionally, since it is set in 2051, the game has a much more futuristic backdrop, along with much stronger and Sci-Fi weapons. Graphic quality will also be greatly improved in the new version.
The Indian branch of the company has recently been releasing many job listings on the LinkedIn platform, further fueling the speculations that the Indian version of the game is just round the corner. Reportedly, the Indian branch has found new directors in Kumar Krishnan Iyer and Hyunil Sohn.
