PUBG Corporation revoked the rights to the PUBG Mobile franchise in India from Tencent

China’s Tencent will no longer be engaged in the development of the PUBG Mobile brand in India. This was stated by the South Korean PUBG Corporation, the owner of the franchise. Now the company will independently publish the game in the region.

“In light of recent events, PUBG Corporation has decided to no longer allow Tencent to use the PUBG Mobile franchise in India,” the company’s official message to users reads.

Revocation of the rights to the game in the region is associated with its ban. In early September, the Indian authorities blocked all mobile versions of PUBG in the country along with another 117 apps published by Chinese companies.

The official reason for the ban is “damage to the sovereignty and integrity of India.” The regulator stated that the blocked applications were seen in actions that pose a threat to the security of the country and public order.

In fact, this is one of the reactions of the Indian authorities to military clashes with the Chinese army on the north-eastern border. They started in May of this year and are still going on. Since spring, at least 140 servicemen have been injured on both sides (60 soldiers are known to have been killed).

The statement about the independent publication of PUBG Mobile by the South Korean company is an attempt to remove the ban as quickly and painlessly as possible. It seeks to deprive the game of an obvious connection with China, whose products are not only banned in India, but also losing popularity due to the conflict between the countries that has escalated (in the second quarter of 2020, the share of Chinese smartphone sales in the country fell from 81% to 72%).

That is why PUBG Corporation separately notes in its appeal that “PUBG Mobile is the mobile version of PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS (PUBG), an intellectual property owned and developed by PUBG Corporation, a South Korean company. This company is actively involved in the development and publication of PUBG on various platforms, including PUBG Mobile in some territories.”

Now the company wants to establish a dialogue with the government of India and find a solution that will allow the game to return to the local market. Whether it will work is an open question, since Tencent was not only the publisher, but also the developer of the mobile PUBG (plus it is unlikely that the revocation of the license was not agreed with the Chinese side).

Anyway, it is clear that PUBG Corporation intends to fight for the Indian market. For PUBG Mobile, it was one of the main ones. A quarter of all downloads of the game were in India.

Also on the topic:

• 118 Chinese apps blocked in India, including PUBG MobilePossible ban of PUBG Mobile in India is part of the geopolitical conflict with China
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