PUBG, Reliance Jio Reportedly In Talks To Bring PUBG Mobile Back In India
PUBG is reportedly looking for new partners to continue its operations in India. Reports indicate that the South Korean gaming firm has now initiated talks with Jio Platforms for the same. The move follows the recent nationwide ban on the game citing its Chinese affiliation.
Renowned battle-royale game PUBG is reportedly looking for new partners to continue its operations in India. Reports indicate that the South Korean gaming firm has now initiated talks with Jio Platforms for the same.
The move follows the recent nationwide ban on the game citing its Chinese affiliation. PUBG Mobile was distributed in India by Tencent, a Chinese tech major. With escalating tensions between India and China, the former banned a total of 118 apps linked with Chinese origins, eventually including PUBG in the list.
(Representative Image: Reuters)
PUBG has since broken ties with Tencent for its operations in India. Following the cancellation of the distribution license, the firm is now looking for a local partner in the country for resuming its operations.
A new report by Hindu Business Line cites various sources in the know to mention that PUBG has initiated talks with Jio Platforms for the same. ¡°The talks are in an early stage, which began just after the government¡¯s second round of bans. Officials from both the sides are working out the contours of how to structure various aspects of the deal,¡± a source is cited in the report.
Possibilities
If the two entities decide to form a partnership, it will not be for the first time. Last year, PUBG and Jio had a minor collaboration, wherein PUBG Lite players who were also Jio users got rewards for buying the in-game merchandise.
The new report indicates that the companies are now looking to extend this to a full-fledged partnership.
(Representative Image: Reuters)
Citing another source, the report indicates that the PUBG and Jio are now discussing revenue share as well as localisation. ¡°Legal experts from both sides are exploring possibilities on how revenues should be split, whether it would be 50:50 or Jio guaranteeing PUBG revenues based on a fixed number of users every month,¡± said the sources. Localisation, on the other hand, is now a mandate put across by Delhi court in the recent ban.
None of the firms have confirmed the developments as of now. If and when they decide to go ahead, it can easily be judged that Jio will not only be able to resurrect the game in the country, it can possibly add much resources to localise its operations completely within the country.
