PUBG Mobile India launch delayed as government extends ban on Chinese apps
HIGHLIGHTS
- PUBG Mobile India launch could be delayed to at least March 2021
- TikTok could be the first app to be unbanned as it has reportedly complied with all the new rules set forth by the government
PUBG Mobile India launch seems unlikely in the near future as the Indian government has again refused to reverse its ban on Chinese-origin apps, according to a report by Livemint. It is quite puzzling, considering that PUBG Mobile’s parent company Krafton has parted ways with China’s Tencent and plans on self-publishing the app in India. The company is reportedly working on an India-only version of PUBG Mobile. However, the government still seems to be considering PUBG Mobile a Chinese-origin app. That could be the reason why it still hasn’t received the green light from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). The ministry says that PUBG Mobile India launch is unlikely to be greenlit till as late as March 2021.
In the meanwhile, there could still be some hope for TikTok. A government spokesperson had the following to say to a TikTok representative, ”We are evaluating the notice and will respond to it as appropriate. TikTok was among the first companies to comply with the Government of India directive issued on June 29, 2020.” This indicates that the government will evaluate apps on a case-by-case basis. TikTok could even make its highly-awaited comeback in the country soon.
While PUBG Mobile’s fate in India remains largely unknown, we still have PUBG Mobile 2.0 to look forward to. The game is confirmed to be in development and is likely to be launched later this year. If you’re looking for a more locally-made alternative, nCore games-owned FAU-G is now accepting registrations from users. The game will be launched in India on January 26th, i.e. today.
