Microsoft, Reliance Jio is in the race to take over PUBG Mobile rights in India, sources have revealed this to TalkEsport. The companies are in talks to re-launch PUBG Mobile after it was banned in India following privacy concerns. The announcement of PUBG Mobile unban in India could just be weeks away.
PUBG Mobile ban has rocked the gaming scene in India with most of the players moving to other FPS shooting titles. Initially, it was speculated that Reliance Jio is in talks with BlueHole Corp., to distribute the game in India, however, that report was quickly dimmed. But now as it appears, PUBG Mobile unban will no longer be just a speculation. The two tech-giants are reportedly going to announce the deal within a few weeks, sources have confirmed to us.
It seems PUBG Mobile fans in India won’t have to wait long for their beloved game to return. The Indian competitive and casual scene was rocked by the ban imposed through an interim order issued by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, with PUBG-Mobile professionals and influencers opting to pay heed to the order and stream/venture into other esports disciplines.
However, our sources have revealed that PUBG Mobile is getting closer to its relaunch in India, with big players in the industry looking to get the rights for the Indian market. As per our sources, Microsoft and Airtel have been leading the race, for now, ever since Tencent officially announced the relinquishment of rights for the Indian market and the termination of services for the Indian region on October 30, 2020.
It is worth noting that Airtel had recently publicly announced their plans to step into the esports industry in a more focussed manner while also announcing a partnership with NODWIN Gaming, India’s largest esports event Organiser, which is also the official distributor of ESL, DreamHack.
Optics of PUBG Mobile Return
Several PUBG Mobile influencers and professionals have recently hinted at positive news that is due to arrive in the coming days. According to the information, we have gathered, there could be an announcement within the week that will take PUBG Mobile one step closer to its relaunch in India.
Although reports of Airtel, PayTM, Jio, and other companies have been in the news, Microsoft has been named for the first time as per our sources. It is also interesting to note Microsoft had earlier in the U.S. shown their interest to acquire ByteDance’s TikTok – another Chinese app accused of a privacy breach – but it didn’t materialize as per their official statement. And PUBG Mobile was banned in India for similar reasons TikTok is in question in the United States.
Microsoft and Airtel aren’t the only players involved though. Reliance Jio, seem to have jumped back in to win the IP rights for the Indian market from the original owners, BlueHole. It will be intriguing to see who comes out on top in this race. However, the PUBG Mobile scene, the professionals, influencers, and enthusiasts would be the real winners regardless of the outcome of these discussions.
If the report turns out to be true, Microsoft’s entry into the Mobile Gaming spectrum will shape the esports ecosystem in India in new dimensions.
