PUBG Has Been Banned in India Once more
PUBG: Battlegrounds is as soon as once more banned in India citing ‘nationwide safety considerations,’ lower than two years after its earlier ban.
PUBG: Battlegrounds has been one of the crucial well-liked battle royale video games on the earth over the almost 5 years since its launch. The massively well-liked shooter was one of many main video games to start out the battle royale craze alongside titles like Fortnite and boasted over 3 million concurrent gamers at its peak in 2018 with a complete depend at over 75 million. Developer Krafton additionally made waves earlier this 12 months when the sport shifted to a free-to-play mannequin. Nevertheless, the sport’s historical past inside India has been tumultuous all through its life.
Whereas PUBG: Battlegrounds has seen enormous success worldwide, Krafton has struggled to maintain the sport accessible in India. The Indian authorities has beforehand been essential of PUBG: Battlegrounds for causes associated to nationwide safety. India banned PUBG Cell following heightened tensions between India and China in late 2020, as a result of PUBG Cell being revealed by Chinese language gaming juggernaut Tencent. PUBG would return to the area with an India-specific model revealed by Krafton a number of months later. Now, nevertheless, PUBG has as soon as once more been banned in India.
A current report revealed Battlegrounds Cell India has been banned by the Indian authorities reportedly citing “nationwide safety considerations” as soon as once more, as a result of Tencent’s partial possession of Krafton. Whereas the Indian authorities has but to make a direct affirmation, gamers in India discovered as early as Thursday that the sport was not accessible on both Android or iOS shops. The delisting was confirmed by Krafton with the studio reportedly “looking for clarification” into the reasoning behind the ban.
PUBG‘s latest ban in India comes lower than two years after the developer launched its self-published India-exclusive model of the cellular sport. Alongside the change in publishing, Krafton additionally made a number of different adjustments in PUBG‘s return to the Indian market. The sport would function heavier censorship from gamers beginning matches clothed to shifting the sport’s aesthetic right into a “digital coaching floor” setting. Krafton had additionally made preparations to shift Battlegrounds Cell India‘s information to Microsoft Azure servers, additional distancing itself from Tencent within the area.
PUBG Cell‘s India ban comes not lengthy after PUBG‘s latest replace introduced loads of new content material to the sport. PUBG‘s Model 18.2 replace introduced with it the Deston map that includes quite a lot of locales and new mechanics, together with a brand new weapon within the O12 shotgun. Krafton additionally added new graphical choices permitting gamers on next-gen consoles to enhance the sport’s efficiency and visuals. PUBG‘s ban in India will come as a big blow to Krafton after repeated makes an attempt to maintain the sport accessible within the area.
PUBG: Battlegrounds is obtainable now for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, Xbox Sequence X/S, and cellular gadgets.
Supply: Reuters, GamesIndustry.biz