KRAFTON’S PUBG Mobile India’s Looming Timeline

PUBG Mobile unban is a hot topic in India since the last two months. Players are waiting eagerly to hear some good news regarding the current situation of PUBG Mobile in the country but so far, all the news have been vague and leading in various directions.

So, what exactly is the state of PUBG Mobile ban and is there any possibility of the game getting unbanned? Let’s find out.

PUBG Mobile was banned by the IT Ministry of India on September 2nd. This ban was imposed during the escalating tension between China and India border along the LAC.

This was the third ban-wave in the country where more than 100 Chinese apps alongside PUBG Mobile were banned because of user privacy issues.

The official reason stated by the government was that the apps are “prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, Defence of India, Security of State and Public Order.”

IMPACT OF PUBG MOBILE BAN IN INDIA:

The entire player base in the country was caught off-guard due to this ban and it halted the rising mobile esports industry in India. PUBG Mobile pros were confused due to this ban and were forced to give up their invitational slots of PUBG Mobile Pro League: South Asia Fall Split.

The PUBG Mobile content creators were instantly having divided stances on this decision. Some demanded for the reversal of this imposition and some conveyed about their changing future plans.

Famous names like Scout and Mortal were among the very first to address their fans where both of them urged their viewers to keep calm and announced their future plans in a short stream.

IMPACT OF BAN ON TENCENT HOLDINGS

Tencent faced a severe impact of this ban as their share value dropped drastically after the ban was announced.

According to Reuters, “Shares of Chinese gaming and social media powerhouse Tencent fell more than 2% on Thursday after India banned 118 mobile apps, including the firm’s popular videogame PUBG.

This reportedly led Tencent to lose over $14 billion. The Chinese conglomerate faced a heavy financial backlash due to India’s decision to ban this game.

PUBG CORPORATION’S REACTION TO THIS BAN:

One week after the ban was stated, PUBG Corporation issued a statement where they made some major changes that could be seen as the first step towards lifting this ban. PUBG Corp. severed their ties with Tencent Holdings and assumed complete control over publishing and distribution rights of PUBG Mobile in India.

They also gave assurances that pointed towards localized content and tournaments for the region. This can be compared to Game for Peace; the Chinese variant of PUBG Mobile; or PUBG Mobile Korea, which has its own local variant separated from the global version. This meant that India could get their own separate game with PUBG Corporation as the publishers.

MOVES BY INDIAN ESPORTS ORGANISATIONS:

Megastars was the first Indian organization to drop their PUBG Mobile and several other teams followed the suit. Other prominent organizations in India are still waiting on their decision about the future of their PUBG Mobile rosters in India. Indian organizations named Stalwart Esports and FutureStation Gaming decided to shift their base from India to other South Asian regions to be able to compete in PMPL: South Asia Fall Split.

“PUBG MOBILE BAN IN INDIA IS GOING TO BE PERMANENT”

A major news was released by InsideSport where their sources had revealed that “MeitY is in no hurry to revoke the ban on PUBG or any other banned Chinese app.” It also stated that this “mere announcement” from PUBG Corporation to severe its ties with Tencent Games in India is not enough for the ban to be revoked. The entire statement read:

THERE IS NO DISCUSSION WITHIN THE MINISTRY OFFICIALS TO REVOKE THE BAN ON ANY OF THE APPS LISTED IN THE BAN LIST. WE WILL STAY AWAY FROM MAKING ANY COMMENT ON ANY SPECIFIC COMPANY OR APP

Ministry Source

PUBG CORP. MERGER WITH KRAFTON

PUBG Corporation recently announced a merger with Krafton Inc. This merger took the entirety of PUBG Corp. under the umbrella of Krafton alongside all the distribution and development operations of the company’s famous battle-royale title PlayerUnknown’s BattleGrounds.

This is not linked to PUBG Mobile ban or unban in India but can change a few things in the future.

As mentioned above, PUBG Corp assumed full control over PUBG Mobile IP in India and now as the company itself has merged with Krafton; its parent company; there may be few changes that can take place with the PUBG Mobile publishing rights in India.

TENCENT SHUTS DOWN OPERATIONS IN INDIA:

This was the final nail in the coffin for the PUBG Mobile story in India. Tencent finally shuts down their operations in the country which rendered PUBG Mobile inaccessible in the country.

Despite the ban, most of the casual players were still enjoying the game with various third-party stores but with this announcement, PUBG Mobile servers in India have been shut down and hence, the PUBG Mobile chapter in India is entirely closed for now.

Also Read | PUBG & Krafton Merger

PUBG MOBILE INDIA

Krafton Inc., PUBG Corporation’s holding is investing $100 million to develop an esports ecosystem in India, a press release from the company reads. The investment will facilitate a regional head office of Krafton in India with over 100 employees and the development of entertainment, IT, and video games in India.

The news comes in along with PUBG Mobile’s announcement of a return in the Indian region. PUBG Mobile Unban was the most hyped phrase in the gaming spectrum lately after the news of a possible return was reported by several reputed media organizations. TalkEsport was the first one to break the story of a PUBG Mobile return after several highly placed sources confirmed the publication.

The developer also announced that the game will be created according to the “preference of Indian users for a healthy gameplay environment and culture.” This falls in line with PUBG Mobile’s market worldwide where India comes at the top. The return of PUBG Mobile in India will help the developers to recapture some of its lost markets from Garena Free Fire & Wild Rift.

Krafton’s investment in the region will elevate India’s ranking in the global esports ecosystem. India’s esports footprint has already seen a surge after PUBG Mobile’s unprecedented popularity drive. The rise of smartphone users and low data cost has been one of the several factors which fueled the gaming industry growth in the world’s largest democracy.

5 THINGS YOU MUST KNOW ABOUT KRAFTON’S NEW PUBG MOBILE INDIA VERSION

PUBG MOBILE INDIA VERSION VS PUBG MOBILE GLOBAL VERSION

Some altercations will be seen in this new game to better suit the needs of Indian fan base.

Similarities can be drawn between the Korean PUBG Mobile version and the upcoming PUBG Mobile Indian version. Both the versions are published by PUBG Corp. itself and hence, some features may look similar to pre-existing ones.

According to the release, PUBG Mobile is confirmed to have a green bloodstain effect and this feature is already available in the KR version. Furthermore, the underage player base will face a time-limit to ensure health welfare. The user interface will also be slightly tweaked and the usual background will be changed to a virtual simulation training ground.

The esports side of this game is not neglected as PUBG Corp. made a huge announcement regarding an upcoming event. A professional esports league will be conducted for PUBG Mobile and the scale of this tournament will be bigger than any other PUBG Mobile event to date with bigger team participation and a larger prize pool.

The esports side of this game is not neglected as PUBG Corp. made a huge announcement regarding an upcoming event. A professional esports league will be conducted for PUBG Mobile and the scale of this tournament will be bigger than any other PUBG Mobile event to date with bigger team participation and a larger prize pool.