Last week, the Government of India banned 118 mobile apps with links to China, including PUBG Mobile and PUBG Mobile Lite. This did not sit well with the South Korean gaming company, PUBG Corporation, who owns the intellectual property of PUBG Mobile, which is the mobile version of Player Unknown's Battlegrounds. They have now decided to "no longer authorize the PUBG Mobile franchise to China-based Tencent Games in India".
The statement goes like this:
"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."
The company thanks the Indian gaming community for their "passion and enthusiasm" towards the game, citing that the game has seen an overwhelming amount of support in the country. That being said, they fully understand and respect the government's decision, and admit that the privacy and security of player data is a top priority for them.
By taking over the publishing responsibilities of the game, PUBG Corporation hopes to "work hand-in-hand with the Indian government to find a solution", which is the corporate jargon for the expectation that the ban shall be lifted as soon as possible. We will have to wait and see what the Ministry of Information and Technology has to say about it.
It is worth noting that Nepal had banned the game last year citing violent content and parental concerns. Pakistan cited health concerns and followed suit, but was overruled by the High Court.
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