According to PUBG Corporation, the new version is specifically designed for Indian users, which include local customisations such as characters starring the game “fully clothed”. The official release date of PUBG Mobile India will be announced soon.

Besides PUBG Corporation will erect an Indian subsidiary that will hire 100 employee specialising in areas of business, esports and game development. This move is also beneficial for PUBG Corporation as it will increase jobs in the country, especially when the app ecosystem of India is undergoing a major change after the backlash against Chinese apps.

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South Korea’s PUBG Corporation has said it will offer secure and healthy gameplay for the PUBG Mobile India, which are likely to be in line with government’s mandate.

To recall, PUBG Mobile was banned in India on September 2, under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act. The reason behind the ban was that the app has been engaging in activities that are prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity, defence and security of the country.

It was among the 118 apps that are banned by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.

The ban imposed on PUBG Mobile created a void in the Indian mobile gaming community as it was one of the most played titles on the platform.

Apart from the government concern on security, the rhetoric of PUBG Mobile being a bad influence on teenagers of India had a lot to do with the ban.

The general perception of PUBG Mobile as a violent game that goes against India’s “cultural practices” is something that PUBG Coporation is addressing head on. In the Indian specific PUBG Mobile India, the characters will be fully clothed. In the original version some of the avatars are half-naked and have to be dressed with the help of attires won or bought in the game. The game will also be set in a virtual simulation training ground that is familiar to Indian users.

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The latest announcement comes days after a post on LinkedIn by PUBG Mobile’s developer PUBG Corp that triggered speculation about the battle royale-style games’ likely return in India.

Tencent Games that owns of the mobile game, said on Facebook that it “deeply regrets this outcome” and thanked PUBG Mobile and PUBG Mobile Lite fans for their support in India. The company also added that, “Protecting user data has always been a top priority and we have always complied with applicable data protection laws and regulations in India. All users’ gameplay information is processed in a transparent manner as disclosed in our privacy policy.” The statement further highlights that Tencent is returning all rights to the developer of PUBG Mobile – PUBG Corporation which is a subsidiary of Krafton Game Union.

The ban on PUBG Mobile and PUBG Mobile Lite had come at time when the gaming platforms were seeing a growth in userbase owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. The ban was also a blow to fans of the game and professional gamers in India who constitute roughly 25 percent of PUBG Mobile’s userbase. Last week, PUBG Corp had posted a job opening on LinkedIn that stated a vacancy for an associate-level manager in India.

However, it now appears that posting was meant for some other operations in the country and not for PUBG Mobile.

Meanwhile, FAU-G game that is being touted as PUBG Mobile’s Indian alternative is gearing up for its official launch in the country next month. Its first teaser was recently posted by Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar; however, its exact rollout date remains unclear at the moment.

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Under his mentorship, a multiplayer action game, called FAU-G, is expected to be launched soon.

It would have 20% of its Net Proceeds donated to ‘Bharat Ke Veer Trust’.
Bharat Ke Veer Trust gives homage and support to India’s Bravehearts.

Keeping with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of Atma Nirbhar Movement, a Bengaluru based gaming publisher will soon launch a new multiplayer mid-core gaming title, “Fearless and United: Guards (FAU-G)”

Akshay Kumar says, “For youngsters in India, gaming is becoming an important form of entertainment. With FAU-G, I’m hoping that as they play the game they will learn about the sacrifices of our soldiers and also contribute to the families of the martyrs; and with this each one of us has the ability to support PM Modi’s vision of Atma Nirbhar ”

Supporting PM @narendramodi’s AtmaNirbhar movement, proud to present an action game,Fearless And United-Guards FAU-G. Besides entertainment, players will also learn about the sacrifices of our soldiers. 20% of the net revenue generated will be donated to @BharatKeVeer Trust #FAUG pic.twitter.com/Q1HLFB5hPt

— Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) September 4, 2020

The game is based on real scenarios encountered by the Indian Security Forces to deal with both domestic and foreign threats. The game is expected to launch at the end of October with its first-level set in the Galwan Valley backdrop followed by third-person shooting gameplay in the subsequent releases. The game will be available on the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store.

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Amid tensions in the Indo-China border, the Central government has banned 118 Chinese apps including the most popular smartphone game PUBG. The decision to ban these smartphone apps has been taken by Ministry of Electronics and Information and Technology. According to Ministry of Electronics and Information and Technology, these apps are “engaged in activities prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order”.

A statement issued by the Ministry revealed that they have received several complaints from various sources regarding the operation of these smartphone applications. The Ministry also alleged that these apps are apparently misusing the data of the users, and are taking all these information to servers outside India.

“This move will safeguard the interests of crores of Indian mobile and internet users. This decision is a targeted move to ensure safety, security and sovereignty of Indian cyberspace. The compilation of these data, its mining and profiling by elements hostile to national security and defence of India, which ultimately impinges upon the sovereignty and integrity of India, is a matter of very deep and immediate concern which requires emergency measures,” the statement said.

The decision to ban PUBG is expected to receive negative responses from the youth in the country, as there are millions of young people in the nation who spend hours playing this shooting game. However, several psychology experts have previously warned that games like PUBG will increase violent traits among its users.

It was around a few months back that the Indian government banned the much popular short video app, TikTok. The decision literally shocked TikTok lovers, and they urged the government to lift the ban, as it has nothing to do with data loss or national security. However, the government did not lift the ban, and within a couple of months, they have banned another popular Chinese app used by millions.

In the meantime, Donald Trump administration is also planning to ban TikTok in the United States, citing data loss concerns.

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This time the Center has kept 275 Chinese apps on the radar, including PubG backed by China’s most valuable internet major Tencent, Zili by phone maker Xiaomi, AliExpress by e commerce giant Alibaba as well as apps like Resso and ULike from TikTok-owned ByteDance. The reviews aimed at identifying more Chinese apps and their funding is underway.

Some of these apps have been red-flagged due to security reasons while others have been listed for violation of data sharing and privacy concerns.

This is in addition to examining the alleged flow of data from these apps to China that poses a threat to the national security of India.

According to industry estimates Chinese Internet companies have about 300 million unique users in India. This indicates that nearly two-thirds of smartphone users in the country have downloaded Chinese app

For PubG, India is one of the largest markets, generating about 175million installs to date, or 24% of the total downloads. Although PubG Videogame has been developed by a subsidiary of South Korean video game company Bluehole, it is also backed by China’s most internet major Tencent.

Meanwhile the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology( Meity) has sent 77 questions to the 59 banned-Chinese apps. The Center has asked questions whether they censored content, worked on behalf of foreign governments or lobbied influences among others. The ministry has also given these companies three weeks to respond which will expire this week.

If the government may ban all, some or none from the list- one has to wait and see.

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