Tencent Games loses rights to distribute PUBG Mobile in India

PUBG Mobile is one of the most popular games on smartphones in the country, and has even spawned various professional tournaments with millions and crores in prize money.

Chinese gaming company Tencent Games will no longer distribute the popular Battle Royal game PUBG Mobile in India, PUBG Corporation announced today. “Going forward, PUBG Corporation will take over all publishing responsibilities within the country. As the company has discovered ways to provide its own PUBG experience for India in the near future, it is committed to doing so to maintain a local and healthy gameplay environment for its fans, ”the company added Said in a blog post.

PUBG Corporation is a subsidiary of Bluehole Games, a South Korean company that has developed PlayerUnogn's Battleground (PUBG). The post states, "The company is actively engaged in developing and publishing PUBG on multiple platforms, including PUBG MOBILE in select areas, to provide the best player experience."

This decision is a response to the ban imposed on the sport by the Indian government last week. PUBG Mobile is one of the most popular games on smartphones in the country, and has even spawned various professional tournaments with millions and crores in prize money.

PUBG was part of 118 other Chinese apps that were banned by the government after a border conflict with China. The ban has made Tencent one of the biggest losers, joining the short-video platform TikTok, which was in the first wave of the ban. According to industry experts, PubG Mobile earned more than $ 100 million in app purchases in India alone in 2019.

Sports revenue in India has been rivaled only by the unicorn fantasy sports platform, Dream 11, which recently earned the rights to sponsor the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket tournament.

PUBG Mobile Unban in India?

PlayerUnogn's Battleground Corporation or PUBG Corp are exploring ways to reverse the ban in India. If the news is to be believed then PUBG Corp is now looking for an Indian distributor to run the popular Battle Royal game PUBG Mobile. Yesterday, the battle was handed over to PUBG Mobile, a South Korean firm, to Royale Gaming Company.

While India's gaming community sits with lost morale, PUBG Corp made an official statement yesterday that it has dragged down all publishing responsibilities and collaboration with Chinese firm Tencent for operations in India.

“PUBG Corporation fully understands and respects the measures taken by the government as privacy and security of player data is a top priority for the company. The gaming company said it hopes to work hand-in-hand with the Indian government to find a solution that allows gamers to once again fully enter Indian law and regulations into the battlefield.

The center banned 118 more Chinese mobile applications last week over concerns about "security, surveillance and data privacy".

"The compilation of these figures, mining by hostile elements for India's national security and defense and its framework, which ultimately imposes on India's sovereignty and integrity, is a matter of deep and urgent concern that needs emergency measures," the Center The statement said.

Official Statement:

“PUBG Corporation 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. It hopes to work hand-in-hand with the Indian government to find a solution that will allow gamers to once again drop into the battlegrounds while being fully compliant with Indian laws and regulations.

In light of recent developments, PUBG Corporation has made the decision to no longer authorize the PUBG Mobile franchise to Tencent Games in India. Moving forward, PUBG Corporation will take on all publishing responsibilities within the country. As the company explores ways to provide its own PUBG experience for India in the near future, it is committed to doing so by sustaining a localized and healthy gameplay environment for its fans.