BENGALURU: Popular mobile game PUBG will be re-launched in India as Battlegrounds Mobile India, South Korean game developer Krafton announced on Thursday. PUBG was banned in India along with more than 100 other Chinese apps last year following increased geo-political tensions with the neighbouring country.
Krafton said in a statement that the game will offer a world class AAA multiplayer experience on mobile. Battlegrounds Mobile India will release with exclusive in-game events like outfits and features and will have its own esports ecosystem with tournaments and leagues. The game will launch as a free-to-play experience on mobile devices.
Amidst increasing concerns of data privacy/storage flagged by India’s electronics and information technology ministry, Krafton said that it will be working with partners to ensure data protection and security, at each stage. "This will ensure privacy rights are respected and all data collection and storage will be in full compliance with all applicable laws and regulations in India and for players here," the company said.
After the popular mobile game was banned in India in September last year over its ties with Chinese internet giant Tencent, the game developer had said that it 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 earlier said.
Krafton has also revealed the logo of Battlegrounds Mobile India, with a striking India tricolor flag cover, while adding that data security and privacy will be its top concerns. "Battlegrounds Mobile India, a battle royale experience, will have a period of pre-registration before the launch. The game will be available to play only in India. Krafton will collaborate with partners to build an esports ecosystem while bringing in-game content regularly, starting with a series of India specific in-game events at launch, to be announced later,” the company said.
India was the top overseas market for the PUBG app outside China, accounting for 28.8% of the total 644 million downloads, as of September 2020, data sourced from Sensor Tower indicated.