PUBG Corp. Rescind Tencent Games’ Publishing Rights - Will PUBG Mobile Come Back To India Soon?

After a series of days grieving over the ban of PUBG Mobile and PUBG Mobile Lite, the Indian gaming community finally has some good news. As informed on its official website, PUBG Corporation has revoked the publishing rights of Tencent Games for the two mentioned titles in India. The Korean-based company will now take over all the development duties for the Indian version. We all know that PUBG Mobile is super popular in India. The immense love and support from the country’s players, both amateur and professional, lead the PUBG Corporation to take this action.

Last week, the Indian Government issued a nation-wide Ban on PUBG Mobile, PUBG Mobile Lite, and 116 other Chinese apps. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology of India explains that the ban meant to protect the privacy and security of user data. Though it took some time to assess the whole situation, PUBG Mobile Corporation has finally decided to revoke Tencent Games’ authorization to manage PUBG Mobile in India. It’s PUBG Corporation that will take over the responsibility. 

In its official announcement, PUBG Corporation stated that it “fully understands and respects the measures taken by the government as the privacy and security of player data is a top priority for the company.” With the removal of Tencent Games, a Chinese owned company, out of the equation, PUBG Corp. hopes to work hand-in-hand with the Indian Government to find a solution. There must be a way for players to once again drop into the battlegrounds “while being fully compliant with Indian laws and regulations.”

As of now, PUBG Mobile and PUBG Mobile Lite are nowhere to be found on both the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. The ban hasn’t been lifted yet. For the time being, we can only cross our fingers and hope that the Indian Government and PUBG Corp. can agree on a middle-ground that is beneficial to both sides. The ban may be in effect for a couple more months at best, if not permanent. But this presents a glimmer of hope to Indian PUBG Mobile Fans.

Statistically speaking, India is still one of the largest markets for PUBG Mobile. As of July 2020, Indian players have downloaded PUBG Mobile more than 17.5 crore times, which accounts for 24% of the game’s worldwide downloads. In the first of 2020, PUBG was able to collect a worldwide revenue of around $1.3 billion, roughly translates to ₹9,731 crores. But that number takes a major dip after the Indian ban. The Chinese tech giant Tencent also suffers from a brutal ₹25-lakh-crore loss in market value. It is not likely that the company continues to throw their money away like that.

All in all, we may be expecting PUBG Mobile and PUBG Mobile Lite to return to the Indian market very soon. Let’s cross our fingers and hope for the best.