PUBG Mobile and PUBG Mobile Lite will no longer work for players in India, as of tomorrow, October 30th. The company announced the development in a Facebook post published today. Game apps faced a sudden ban in India nearly a month ago when the Indian government named the two platforms in a list of 118 apps suspended in the country due to security threats from China. The latest announcement comes days after PUBG Corp. posted a post on LinkedIn on PUBG Mobile, which sparked speculation about the possible return of royal style games to India.
Mobile game owner Tencent Games stated on Facebook that it “deeply regrets this finding” and thanked PUBG Mobile and PUBG Mobile Lite fans for their support in India. The company also added, “Protecting user data has always been a top priority and we have always complied with the data protection laws and regulations in force in India. Play information for all users is processed in a transparent manner as described in our privacy policy.” The statement also highlights that Tencent is returning all rights to the developer of PUBG Mobile – PUBG Corporation, a subsidiary of Krafton Game Union.
The ban on PUBG Mobile and PUBG Mobile Lite came at a time when gaming platforms were experiencing growth in the user base due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The ban has also been a blow to fans of the game and professional players in India who make up nearly 25 percent of PUBG Mobile’s user base. Last week, PUBG Corp posted a vacancy on LinkedIn stating that there is a vacancy for a manager at an associate level in India. However, it now appears that the post was intended for some other operation in the country and not for PUBG Mobile. Meanwhile, FAU-G which is being promoted as the Indian alternative to PUBG Mobile is preparing to be officially launched in the country next month. His first teaser was posted recently by Bollywood Akshay Kumar; However, the date of its launch remains unclear at this time.
