It has been 8 months since the ban on PUBG Mobile and 117 other Chinese apps took effect in September 2020. Speculations ran wild about the game's return to India. And finally, KRAFTON officially announced it will relaunch the game as Battlegrounds Mobile India. For you to keep track of such a hectic train of events, here's a full timeline summary of PUBG Mobile in India.
#1 September 2nd, 2020 – India Banned PUBG Mobile
The Indian Government removed PUBG Mobile, PUBG Mobile Lite, and 116 other apps in the protection of India's sovereignty and integrity.
#2 September 8, 2020 – KRAFTON Cuts Ties With Tencent
PUBG Corporation, under KRAFTON, took over the publishing responsibilities of PUBG Mobile in India from Tencent Games.
#3 October 3, 2020 – Tencent Games Closes PUBG Mobile in India
After the ban, Tencent Games terminated all services for PUBG Mobile and PUBG Mobile Lite users in India.
#4 November 7, 2020 – KRAFTON Partners With Azure
Next, KRAFTON announced its partnership with Microsoft Azure.
#5 November 12, 2020 – PUBG Mobile Invested $100 Million Investment To Develop PUBG Mobile India
As the reports said, PUBG Mobile announced that it would invest $100 Million USD in India. The main reason was to "cultivate the local video game, esports, entertainment, and IT industries.” On the same day, the studio also announced PUBG Mobile India.
#6 November 14, 2020 – PUBG Mobile India Dropped A Teaser
In the video, PUBG Mobile confirmed the re-launch with Indian PUBG Mobile content creators: Dynamo, Jonathan, and Kronten.
#7 November 21, 2020 – PUBG India Established a Company in India
On November 21, 2021, PUBG India Private Limited officially registered itself with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.
#8 December 22, 2020 – KRAFTON Appointed A Country Manager for India
KRAFTON appointed Aneesh Aravind as the country manager for India.
#9 January 8, 2021 – MEITY Denied Permission Requests By PUBG Mobile India
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) refused to grant a Right to Information (RTI) filing for PUBG Mobile.
#10 January 25, 2021 – KRAFTON Updated on PUBG Mobile’s Re-Release
KRAFTON finally made a statement revealing the relaunch of the game. However, the company did not go into any details.
#11 February 24, 2021 – KRAFTON Hired New Regional Head for India, Middle-East and North Africa
Unexpectedly, KRAFTON Inc. hired YOZOO Games’ former CEO Anuj Tandon to be the new Regional head for India, Middle East, and North Africa.
#12 February 24, 2021 – KRAFTON Announced PUBG: New State
A sequel of the game, PUBG: New State, was announced for Android and iOS. However, the pre-registrations were not available in India, Vietnam, and China.
#13 March 9, 2021 - KRAFTON Invested INR 164 Crore ($22,400,000) For NODWIN Gaming
As requested, KRAFTON agreed to fund the Indian esports tournament organizer, NODWIN Gaming.
#14 March 31, 2021 – KRAFTON Reassured The Return of PUBG Mobile India
KRAFTON guaranteed its interests in the Indian market. Hence, the company reaffirmed the development of a specific new version of the game.
#15 April 29, 2021 – KRAFTON Donated INR 1,50,00,000 ($202,653) to PM Cares Fund
KRAFTON contributed INR 1,50,00,000 ($202,653) to the PM Cares fund to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
#16 May 6, 2021 – KRAFTON Announced Battlegrounds Mobile India
The return of the king! KRAFTON officially announced Battlegrounds Mobile India earlier this month. This will be an India-exclusive Battle Royale game. According to speculations, the title will come with exclusive outfits, features, and in-game events as well as a separate Esports ecosystem.
>>> Also Read: PUBG Mobile Is Officially Coming Back To India With New Poster And Teaser