Last week when the Indian government went ahead and banned PUBG Mobile among other Chinese apps, all hell broke loose among the youth who would spend hours engrossed in the battle royale game.?
The mobile version of the app franchised by China¡¯s Tencent Games was banned in India as the authorities said that these apps "engaged in activities prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order".?However, it looks like it's not the death of PUBG Mobile in India just yet.
PUBG Corporation, the Seoul based company behind the original battle royale game that started the revolution on PC and consoles, has issued a statement stating that it will pull the licensing from Tencent Gaming for the mobile version of the game.?
It said in a statement on its website, ¡°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 localised and healthy gameplay environment for its fans.¡±
From the statement, it seems like this arrangement will only be applied for the Indian market, whereas Tencent could still be dealing with the global mobile version of the app. It will be interesting to see what massive changes (if any) does the game bring to the table?
The elimination of a Chinese connection with PUBG Mobile could open the possibility of the game¡¯s ban to get lifted in India, although nothing can be surely said.?
Tencent surely is one of the biggest losers in this as ever since the ban, the company has been suffering loses worth billions. In just two days of the game getting banned, the gaming company lost a whopping $35 billion.?
Moreover, PUBG Mobile¡¯s re-entry (if it were to happen) won't be smooth this time with the Indian version of battle royale games getting ready for a launch with a patriotic theme that can provide tough competition.