PUBG Mobile ban has been a very hot topic in India in the last couple of months. Fans are eagerly waiting for news on the matter. Sadly, all we have so far are rumors and news in multiple directions. Let’s take a look at the current condition of the game and whether it will make a comeback to one of its biggest markets.
To recall, the Indian government banned PUBG Mobile and lots of other Chinese apps on September 2 after the escalating tension between India and China border along the LAC. The official reason provided by the Indian government was that these Chinese apps are “prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, Defence of India, Security of State and Public Order.”
What are the impacts of the PUBG Mobile ban on India’s mobile gaming scene?
Lots of players thought that PUBG Mobile would be safe from the ban waves by the Indian government. However, many of them were surprised when the game was mentioned in the third ban-wave. This ban directly affects the rising mobile esports industry in the country. Lots of PUBG Mobile pro players had to give up their spots at the PUBG Mobile Pro League: South Asia Fall Split.
The ban also surprised content creators as they were having divided opinions on the matter. Some of them hoped for the reversal of this decision while many others thought about charging their future plans. Famous players like Mortal and Scout were among the first names to announce their future plans.
Not only pro players, but esports organizations also made their moves shortly after the announcement. Megastars was the first Indian esports organization to shut down its PUBG Mobile team, followed by several other teams. Two Indian organizations FutureStation Gaming and Stalwart Esports decided to built new rosters with players from other countries so that they could compete in tournaments. Meanwhile, other big organizations haven’t made up their mind, possibly waiting for further news about the ban before making any move.
What are the impacts of the ban on Tencent Holdings?
After the Indian government announcing to ban PUBG Mobile, the share value of Tencent dropped rapidly. Reuters reported that the value fell over 2 percent after 118 mobile apps, including PUBG Mobile, were banned in India. That led to a $14 billion loss in value for Tencent. You can easily that the Chinese powerhouse faced a massive financial loss from the ban.
How did PUBG Corporation react to the ban?
One week after the ban was announced, PUBG Corporation released a statement, announcing that they were planning to make some major changes to address the ban. The company cut ties with its Chinese partner Tencent and took full control over the distribution and publishing responsibilities of PUBG Mobile for the Indian market. It also promises to bring healthy and localized gameplay environments for the country. It could mean that we could see an Indian version of PUBG Mobile just like Game For Peace in China or PUBG Mobile Korea in Korea.
PUBG Corporation and Jio partnership, it is true?
Shortly after the statement of PUBG Corporation about its plan for PUBG Mobile in India, rumors emerged online, claiming that the company could be partnering with Indian telecommunication giant Jio for the distribution and publishing rights for PUBG Mobile. However, it seems like either they failed to reach an agreement or the deal never existed as the rumors quickly faded away and we didn’t see any other news or reports about this partnership.
Is there any chance for PUBG Mobile to come back to India?
As you may know, PUBG has just announced to completely shut down PUBG Mobile & PUBG Mobile Lite in India from October 30. It means you won’t be able to connect to the game even if you use VPN servers or already installed the game on your phones.
However, the company also gave us a piece of good news shortly after the shutdown. PUBG Corporation announced to merge with its parent company Krafton on December 2 and all users’ information will be kept by them. That means Krafton will take over all personal and in-game data of players from Tencent.