PUBG Corporation, the South Korean company behind the celebrated Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG), announced earlier on Wednesday, September 9 that Tencent Games, a Chinese gaming company will no longer be able to distribute its game PUBG Mobile in India.
The move comes a week after the Indian government took to imposing a ban on PUBG and 117 other Chinese apps including WeChat, Ludo All-Star and Ulike owing to the cross border tension with the immediate neighbour. According to reports, Tencent Games had lost $34 billion in terms of market value, just a day after the ban on 118 Chinese apps in India.
“PUBG Corporation fully understands and respects the measures taken by the government as the privacy and security of player data is a top priority for the company. It hopes to work hand-in-hand with the Indian government to find a solution that will allow gamers to once again drop into the battlegrounds while being fully compliant with Indian laws and regulations. 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.”, read the Company’s blog post.
With PUBG Corporation taking over the publishing responsibilities, there is a light of hope that the players could actually see the game being unbanned in the country soon. Nevertheless, the government is yet to provide clarity on whether the latest move by the company would bring any relief to the existing gamers, streamers, and organisations relying on PUBG Mobile in the country.
Also read: “Fau G” – the Indian PUBG launching soon
