PlayerUnknown"s Battlegrounds players residing in Nepal won"t be able to get their favorite battle royale fix from now on. According to Nepalese local news, the country has banned the hit title completely, with officials saying its violent content has had a "negative effect on the behavior and study of children and youths."
After gaining permission from the Kathmandu District Court to ban the game, Nepal"s Metropolitan Crime Division had contacted the Nepal Telecommunications Authority to issue the ban order to internet and mobile service providers.
“Parents and schools had complained that the game was affecting their children’s studies and making them more aggressive. When we consulted with psychiatrists, they also said that the violence in the game can make people aggressive in real life," said senior superintendent of police Dhiraj Pratap Singh speaking to Kathmandu Post. "There have been many shocking incidents due to the game in other countries. We have decided to ban the game before anything unfortunate occurs in Nepal."
The police have added that anyone caught playing the game following the ban will be arrested. Local internet service providers that continue to provide access to the game will also face action.
Although there seems to be no official word, we assume the ban is aimed at both the standard and mobile variants of the game. It"s also unclear if the country will keep the ban isolated to just PlayerUnknown"s Battlegrounds or if it plans to extend it to other battle royale behemoths like Fortnite.
Source: Kathmandu Post via Reuters