PUBG Mobile, the mobile version of the popular battle royale gamePlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, has been banned by the Indian government. ThePUBG MobileIndia ban comes at a time when the country has been banning a wide variety of Chinese smartphone apps, withPUBG Mobilebeing just one of over 100 apps that were banned in the latest wave. According to the Indian government, thePUBG Mobileban is due to “cybersecurity concerns.”
India started banning Chinese mobile apps due to tensions between the two countries. Things escalated significantly when 20 Indian soldiers were killed in the Himalayas this past June, at which point the Indian government (and its citizens) started to crack down on Chinese-made products. For example, there are videos of Chinese products being destroyed, andIndia banned TikTok, another extremely popular app that has ties to China. WhilePUBGwasn’t developed in China, developer PUBG Corporation has an active partnership with Chinese game publisher Tencent, who has largely handled the mobile version of the battle royale game.
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PUBG Mobileis hugely popular in India, with over 40 million active users, and so this ban could have a devastating impact on the game. It remains to be seen exactly how long this ban will be in effect, but it’s possible thatPUBG Mobilewill be permanently banned from India. However, fans in India may have seen this coming, as this isn’t even the first time that aPUBG Mobilebanhas been discussed in the country.
PUBG Mobilewas originally on the chopping block for the first wave of bans for Chinese smartphone apps, but managed to come out unscathed. Prior to that, theIndian state of Gujarat had already bannedPUBG Mobile, and even arrested 10 people for playing the game in public. Gujarat’s reasoning for the ban wasn’t due to cybersecurity concerns, but rather, concerns over the game’s impact on young people.
PUBG Mobileis notorious in India for its addictive nature, to the point where one viral video showed anIndian groom ignoring his wife at their weddingjust so he could play the game. So while the latestPUBG Mobileban is due to “security concerns,” the Indian government has had a tumultuous relationship with the game for years.
In the meantime, it will be interesting to see if any other games will step up to fill themassive voidPUBGis leaving in India, or if some kind of deal can be reached for the game to be unbanned.
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