Do you know that PUBG was banned in China?

- - Tech

India on Wednesday banned more than 100 mobile applications including the hugely popular mobile gaming app PUBG, after banning 59 Chinese apps in the first round earlier this year. The apps were banned citing concerns of data security after fresh tensions between India and China in the border area in eastern Ladakh

According to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, PUBG Mobile has been banned under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, on grounds that “they are engaged in activities which are prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order”.

In 2019, India Became Most PUBG played country, and finally, Brazil became the least PUBG game played country, having 80 lakhs users. At that time India has crossed 40 lakhs users, who play PUBG. According to 2020, Brazil is the least PUBG played country in the world. Brazil Country Plays Less PUBG Mobile.

PUBG MOBILE is reportedly one of the most popular games in India, and also India’s most played battle royale game. So is PUBG MOBILE Chinese app? Let’s take a look at it.

What is PUBG MOBILE?

The Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds or PUBG is a battle royale game that was launched for PC and gaming console in 2017. Soon after the launch, PUBG became the most popular game in the world. The game allows 100 players to compete with each other and the last man standing gets a Chicken Dinner in PUBG. Brendan Greene, the brains behind PUBG, has also created other popular games like ARMA 2 and Day Z: Battle Royale among others.

PUBG MOBILE’s country of origin

The game was developed for PC by PUBG Corporation, which is a subsidiary of a Korean game developer, Bluehole. The Korean developer partnered with China’s biggest gaming company which is Tencent to enter the gaming market in China. Tencent also introduced the mobile version of PUBG MOBILE. The game became an instant hit in China but it did not get the approval of the Chinese government to monetize it.

Is PUBG MOBILE banned in China?

Yes, the game is banned in China because the government thought that it is a violent game and could negatively impact youngsters. As per reports, the government of China also mentioned that people would not be able to focus on their careers because of the game. The fear of them getting addicted to it is also one of the reasons why it was banned.

This forced Tencent to discard the game in China but they introduced a clone app version of the game known as Game for Peace. As per reports, this clone version of PUBG MOBILE was projected as a patriotic game to make sure that the Chinese government will approve the app and it did.

Is PUBG MOBILE Chinese App?

Yes, the mobile version of the game is developed by the Chinese company Tencent that makes it a Chinese application. However, the game does not have a Chinese origin as the game is made by Bluehole which is a Korean gaming company. Tencent has a 10 percent stake in Bluehole and other gaming companies like Riot Games, Epic Games, Ubisoft, Activision Blizzard and others.

Negative Side-Effects Of Playing PUBG

1. It is extremely violent.
2. It leads to gaming addiction.
3. You can end up becoming less socially active.
4. It promotes bad physical health.
5. It affects your mental health.
6. It disrupts your sleep pattern.
7. There is no time to do anything else.

Tencent’s PUBG Mobile was the world’s highest-grossing game in March amid coronavirus crisis

PUBG Mobile and its Chinese mainland version Peacekeeper Elite raked in a combined US$232 million of sales in March, topping the global mobile games chart by revenue as many people turned to online entertainment amid the global health crisis, according to data from app analytics firm Sensor Tower.

Before the pandemic, PUBG Mobile was already on track to become a huge global hit. It surpassed US$1 billion in revenue last year when combined with Peacekeeper Elite, according to earlier estimates by Sensor Tower. The international version PUBG Mobile was also the most lucrative Chinese mobile game outside China in 2019, pulling in US$776 million.

PUBG ban comes as a jolt to Tencent’s plans

  • A founder of a gaming platform added that PUBG Mobile generated around $100 million in 2019 from Indian users through in-app purchases alone
  • Tencent is among the biggest losers alongside ByteDance, whose flagship product TikTok met a similar fate earlier

Internet giant Tencent’s fledgling business empire in India is in turmoil after the government banned its crown jewel, the popular PUBG Mobile video game, as New Delhi struck again on Chinese economic interests after a deadly border clash between the troops of the two countries.

With Wednesday’s ban on 118 Chinese apps, Tencent is among the biggest losers alongside ByteDance, whose flagship product TikTok met a similar fate earlier. Tencent has more than 25 apps, which it owns directly or through affiliates, banned in India. This includes the chat platform WeChat and apps like QQ Newsfeed.

Tencent has also invested in news and entertainment platform Newsdog, camera app YouCam and e-commerce platform Shein. All of these apps are now banned in India.

Following the ban, Tencent Holdings lost 2% in Thursday’s trading in Hong Kong.

Before it was banned, PUBG was wildly popular, prompting Prime Minister Narendra Modi to crack a joke on PUBG at a public event last year. While India accounts for a small part of PUBG’s global revenue, it does contribute to most of its downloads. The country ranks No.1 for downloads of PUBG Mobile with 175 million installs to date, 24% of its total installs worldwide.

Experts said the ban will have a significant impact on Tencent’s prospects in India, a market where the Chinese giant had been aggressively expanding its presence.

According to a leading venture capital investor, PUBG Mobile was the “canary in the coal mine” for Tencent in India. “It may be the inflection point, where Tencent decides to divest itself of certain aspects to make sure that the overall company’s prospects aren’t really affected,” he said.

“Tencent gaming has actually made significant inroads, particularly when it comes to PUBG. That’s actually the biggest source of revenue in India. Their prospects have been dented, and they’ve appointed several legal firms to analyze the ban and figure out the next steps,” he said.

In fact, PUBG Mobile is also credited with establishing the revenue potential of the Indian gaming market through in-app purchases.

What happens to your money spent on PUBG Mobile?

After the PUBG Mobile ban, many people are worried about their money, which they had invested in the game for buying skins, Royale Pass and more. PUBG Mobile has not provided any statement regarding this. But, most possibly players will have to raise a dispute regarding this on the respective app stores to get their money back. We just wait for the official statement.

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Nishanth Muraleedharan, also known as "Nishani," is an IT engineer who transitioned into entrepreneurship, driven by a profound passion for the textile industry. As the president of Save Handloom Foundation, (SaveHandloom.org) and the Founder & CEO of DMZ International Imports & Exports Pvt Ltd., I am passionate about reviving the Indian handloom industry and empowering the weavers and artisans across the country. With 25+ years of experience in the textile industry, I have developed deep market insights and a rich network of handloom weaving societies, master weavers, and self-help groups, who exclusively make products for our trust.