PUBG Mobile to make a comeback in India

Posted on by Prakhar Khanna

In September, India banned PUBG Mobile and PUBG Mobile Lite citing threats to the privacy of users and security of the nation. These games are owned by China’s Tencent and were said to engage “in activities that are prejudicial to the sovereignty and integrity of India, defense of India, the security of the state and public order.” However, in a recent turn of events, PUBG Mobile is making a comeback in India.

PUBG Corporation has announced it is preparing to launch a new game called ‘PUBG Mobile India’. It says this game is “created specifically for the Indian market.” The developers added that they will improve in-game content and also customize it to “reflect local needs.” These changes include clothing on new characters, a virtual simulation training ground setting, and green hit effects instead of red. Further, it will also add a feature to restrict game time for younger players.

The corporation has announced this new game will maximize data security for its players and adhere to the local regulations by conducting regular audits and verifications on the storage systems that store the personal information of Indian users. This will be done in order to make sure that the data is kept safe.

PUBG Corporation also said that it is planning to establish a local office. It will hire over 100 employees to enhance communications and services with players. “In addition to establishing a local office, the company will look to actively collaborate and leverage local businesses to strengthen its gaming service,” the developers added. Furthermore, Krafton, PUBG Corporation’s parent company announced its plans to invest $100 million in India. This will be done to “cultivate the local video game, e-sports, entertainment, and IT industries.” However, there is no exact release date for PUBG Mobile India yet.

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PUBG Mobile seeks to dodge India ban by severing links with China’s Tencent

Posted on by Nadeem Sarwar

Earlier this month, the Indian government banned PUBG Mobile in the country citing risks to the privacy of users and security of the nation. The ban came as a shocker for players as well the company behind the game – PUBG Corporation. After all, PUBG Mobile is one of the most popular mobile games in the country and alone accounts for 24% of the net 734 million global downloads for the game so far. The reason behind the ban was the Chinese roots of Tencent, the company that handles publishing duties for the game in India. Now, PUBG Corporation is trying to escape the PUBG Mobile ban in India by severing ties with Tencent for publishing the game in the country. 

“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,” PUBG Corporation said in an official statement. The company also emphasized that PUBG Mobile is an intellectual property owned and developed by PUBG Corporation, a South Korean gaming company. Eliminating China’s Tencent from the picture – which appears to be the primary bone of contention for the Indian government in view of the recent border clashes between the two countries – appears to solve the ban issue on the surface, but there is more to the picture. 

With Tencent gone, PUBG Corporation will not only have to handle the publishing duties in India, but it will also have to address the issue of finding another partner for hosting PUBG Mobile esports tournaments and related events in India. PUBG Corporation can do so itself, but the transition will not be as easy as it appears. On top of that, PUBG Corporation will also be left with another huge question – who will handle the development process of PUBG Mobile in the absence of Tencent? And if Tencent only loses publishing responsibilities and is still engaged in game development, won’t it again put PUBG Mobile under the government’s scanner?

Then there is also the responsibility of finding partners to organize PUBG  Mobile competitions in India, running the marketing campaigns, partnering with esports teams and negotiating contracts with existing stakeholders. As mentioned earlier, PUBG Corporation’s quest to avoid the PUBG Mobile ban in India by removing the China element (read: Tencent) will leave it with more shoes to fill than anticipated and risks slowing down the meteoric momentum gained by the game in India, which is another huge concern.

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India bans PUBG Mobile and PUBG Mobile Lite citing privacy and national security risks

Posted on by Nadeem Sarwar
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In what appears to be a fresh crackdown on apps that pose a threat to the privacy of users and security of the nation, the Indian government has banned a new batch of 118 apps which includes two very popular names – PUBG Mobile and PUBG Mobile Lite. Both the games are owned by China’s Tencent, a behemoth in the mobile gaming industry with heavy investment in other entertainment ventures.

In an official press release issued by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, the ministry claims that these apps are engaged in activities that is prejudicial to the sovereignty and integrity of India, defense of India, security of state and public order. More specifically, the ministry pointed out that some of these apps were found surreptitiously transmitting data to servers located outside the country, putting the privacy of users and national security at risk.

The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Center has received instructions on blocking access to these apps. In addition to PUBG Mobile, a host of other games, dating apps, malware cleaners and gallery apps have also been banned. Aanother popular apps that has received the ban treatment on Android and iOS in India is WeChat.

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PUBG Mobile is getting a massive 1.0 update on September 8

Posted on by Prakhar Khanna

PUBG Mobile will soon be receiving a new update. It is bringing a  “new era” to the game and will make its way to players on September 8. The PUBG Mobile 1.0 update brings a lot of changes including new tech, new UX, new gameplay features, and more. Further, the developer has also announced PUBG MOBILE Global Championship (PMGC) esports event with a prize pool of $2 million.

According to the company, with the latest update, PUBG Mobile will be completely overhauled to offer “the most authentic and immersive experience on mobile.” The 1.0 update brings  improvements to the characters, environments both in-game and lobby, and gunfights. It will include updated particles, smoke muzzle flashes, air blasts, and scope interaction to give it a more realistic feel. More optimizations are coming to actions  such as parachuting, throwing, and sprinting.

PUBG Mobile 1.0 update also includes improved models and texture quality, and lighting systems to add more realism to the sky, water, and vegetation. Further, the UI has been tweaked to make it easy on the eyes. This includes interactions, visuals, motions, and the quality of sound effects. A multi-screen switching mode will be added as well. It is also said to improve the gameplay experience on middle and low-end hardware with up to 30 percent improvement to FPS, and up to 76 percent reduction in lag.

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OnePlus phones now exclusively support PUBG Mobile gameplay at 90fps

Posted on by Nadeem Sarwar

OnePlus has today announced that all of its smartphones that feature a 90Hz or higher refresh rate display (except OnePlus Nord) can now exclusively play hit battle royale game PUBG Mobile at 90fps. The list of OnePlus phones that support 90fps gameplay include the OnePlus 8 duo, OnePlus 7T pair and the OnePlus 7 Pro. 

The aforementioned OnePlus phones will offer exclusive access to PUBG Mobile at 90fps starting today and through September 7. The silky smooth PUBG Mobile experience at 90fps frame rate will be available to all players across the globe, except for users based in Mainland China, Japan, and Korea. 

OnePlus says the advantages of a 90fps gameplay will be evident in scenarios such as running, using a scope or looking out for fellow players. Earlier this year, OnePlus also partnered with Epic Games to enable 90fps Fortnite gameplay before any other smartphone out there. 

Source: OnePlus Forum

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India bans 47 more Chinese apps, 275+ apps including PUBG Mobile on the radar

Posted on by Prakhar Khanna

After banning 59 Chinese apps including Tiktok and Clean Master, the Government of India (GOI) has gone ahead and banned 47 more apps. These are said to be clones of the apps in the earlier ban list. Further, the government is investigating another 275+ apps with Chinese connections for any violation of “national security and user privacy”.

According to a report from News18, the GOI released an order on Friday that banned 47 more apps with Chinese connections. The list includes TikTok Lite, Helo Lite, ShareIt Lite, Bigo Lite, and more. These are reported to be functional clones of the apps that were banned earlier in June.

Separately, a report from Economic Times says that the GOI has drawn a list of  over 275 apps with Chinese connections. These are being examined for any violation of “national security and user privacy”. The list of apps include PUBG Mobile, Ludo World, Zili and 13 more apps by Xiaomi, Resso, Ulike, AliExpress and more. These apps haven’t been banned yet. However, according to the report, some of them have been  red-flagged due to security reasons.

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PUBG Mobile’s Livik map brings shorter 52-player matches and new weapons

Posted on by Nadeem Sarwar
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When it comes to new content in PUBG, they usually trickle down from the game’s PC version and then arrive on PUBG Mobile. But things are changing now. The PUBG Mobile v0.19.0 update brings an all-new map called Livik that is yet to appear on the core PUBG game for PC and consoles.

The Nordic-themed Livik map measures 2km × 2km and introduces shorter 15-minute battle royale matches with only 52 players, promising more fast-paced combat action. The map is still in the beta stage, but gameplay and stability improvements will arrive steadily to enhance the experience.

PUBG Mobile’s new map introduces exclusive items such as the P90 SMG, MK 12 marksman rifle, and a monster truck among other new items. The update also brings a Spark the Flame-themed game mode, The Ancient Secret mode, and a tonne of gameplay changes that you can read about in detail in the official patch notes here.

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PUBG Mobile adds a new character, Andy

Posted on by Prakhar Khanna

PUBG Mobile has announced that a new character is joining the battle royale game. Andy is the fourth character and it will be present alongside Victor, Carlo, and Sara in the game. The new character will be available in EvoGround mode.

Andy is a puppet master who had to retire due to an accident that made him lose his voice. After the unfortunate accident wherein he lost his voice, Andy had an eye for revenge and decided to play with dangerous toys instead. He emerged into a master of guns with top-notch combat skills.

His ability allows him to increase the speed of drawing and holstering guns up to 16 percent. The speed of the drawing and holstering of guns can be increased and the emotes, voice commands along with other features can be gained by leveling up the character to level 10.

You can know more about PUBG Mobile‘s new character here.

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