Last week, PUBG Mobile along with 117 other Chinese applications were banned in India - it was removed from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store just two days after the ban was announced. That was a massive blow to Indian's young Esports industry, as the PUBG Mobile is the most popular game in the country, with over 100 million users.

What happened after that?

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Free Fire and COD Mobile has gained a lot of players after PUBG Mobile was killed

After the ban, Indian youths flock to the other BR games in the market, Garena Free Fire and Call of Duty: Mobile - both game has been experiencing a much higher download number. Based on the data provided by Sensor Tower, a reputable data analyst, just between September 2 and 5, Free Fire got 2.1 million downloads while Call of Duty Mobile got about half of that, at 1.15 million. Currently, Garena Free Fire is at the top of the Play Store, at both Free and Grossing categories. The 3rd game on the list is Ludo King.

Why is Free Fire more popular?

There are 2 reasons that Free Fire has an advantage over Call of Duty Mobile in attracting PUBG Mobile players. Firstly, its because the game focuses more on the Battle Royale aspect, which is something PUBG Mobile players prefer. CoD Mobile, on the other hand, focuses much more on the normal shooter stuff.

Secondly, Free Fire is much easier to run on weak devices than Call of Duty Mobile.

Would PUBG Mobile come back?

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Tencent has just been removed

PUBG Mobile has used the same strategy Call of Duty Mobile did - they have cut ties to Tencent and no longer has them as a publisher. However, it is not sure if the game would be unbanned any time soon, as Tencent is still an investor, and money made from PUBG Mobile is still heading there. You can still play PUBG Mobile in India, but the server would likely be blocked soon.

Interested in more of our articles related to Free Fire? Please check out this post to find out more about Free Fire Character Notora.