![]() ![]() ![]() It rose quickly, garnering millions of players and revenue from in-app spending.īut the good news couldn't last. PUBG Corp, the developers behind PUBG Mobile itself, who are owned by Krafton, would go on to cut publishing ties with Tencent within India to satisfy regulatory requirements around the aforementioned issues with user data.īGMI would prove to be a major success and a suitable replacement for PUBG Mobile, as there was functionally no difference between the two games aside from the differences behind the scenes. It required some significant moves to get the game on the app store. So it's no surprise that Krafton did everything in it's power to bring the title back.įirst announced in 2020 and then released later in 2021, BattleGrounds Mobile India was an attempt to replace the original global version of PUBG Mobile that had been pulled from storefronts as there seemed little potential that the game would be reinstated. And although there were alternative games from Krafton that remained available to Indian players, such as New State, the clamour was mainly for the original PUBG Mobile to return. Both factors meant that whatever lawmakers and tabloids said, Krafton had a willing and waiting audience on hand. Later coverage indicated the theory was untrue, but it didn’t stop a decidedly chilly atmosphere from the media developing around both titles.Įven so, PUBG Mobile had developed a loyal following and a burgeoning esports scene. A murder case in the city of Lucknow, in the state of Uttar Pradesh even saw police theorise the confrontation between a son and his mother had taken place when she tried to stop him from playing the game. PUBG Mobile had already faced a frosty reception, with many accusations that the game was a cause of social ills. Tech analyst Prasanto K Roy told the BBC at the time, "The government had banned these apps citing security concerns, data of Indian citizens going out etc, but it was essentially meant to put pressure on China over the border conflict.” The political tensions relate to border clashes beginning in 2020 between troops stationed in the remote border between China and India. But, for many the assumption was, and still is, that this was a tit-for-tat reprisal against China over continued political frictiom beyond the small matter of video games between India and the country. PUBG Mobile had fallen foul of a wave of apps being banned in India, mainly those with a connection with Chinese companies such as Tencent (who also published PUBG in the country), under accusations that they were mishandling user’s private data. But unfortunately, that success would abruptly come to a halt. It was extremely succesful in India as well, and was the second-largest market for the title aside from China. It remains the strongest presence PUBG has, in the face of relatively lower player numbers on its mainline PC and console counterpart. Released in 2018, PUBG Mobile was an instant success and even surpassed the massive playerbase of chief rival Fortnite. It would soon be followed by a mobile adaptation to capitalise on both its success and the growing mobile shooter fanbase. ![]() ![]() Long story short, the popular battle royale title released back in 2017 and is partially credited with popularising the battle royale genre as a whole. The story of PlayerUnknown's BattleGrounds is worth an entry in itself. Ideally this will be a rubber-stamp routine as the company seeks to toe the line for Indian lawmakers and reestablish itself in this lucrative Asian market.īut how did we get here? It's a complex story of political tension, anti-video game sentiment and the under-wraps relationship between Krafton and Tencent… And although it seemed like they were hoping in vain, Krafton have succeeded in ensuring at least a three-month trial of their game back on storefronts. It’s been an almost year-long battle for publisher Krafton, with speculation and commentary swirling as many watched a litmus test for mobile gaming in India. BattleGrounds Mobile India, the bespoke version of PUBG Mobile for the Indian market, will finally return to storefronts this year after a nearly 10-month absence. ![]()
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