The Russian Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology, and Mass Media (Roskomnadzor) has required the publisher of PUBG Mobile to open an office in Russia and fulfill a number of other requirements
The Tencent division responsible for publishing and operating PUBG Mobile has once again caught the attention of Roskomnadzor.
PUBG Mobile
The corresponding entry appeared on the agency's website on August 5th. Roskomnadzor is demanding that Proxima Beta Pte. Limited (the publisher of PUBG Mobile):
- open a representative office or establish a Russian legal entity;
- place a special electronic form on its electronic resources;
- register a personal account on the Roskomnadzor website.
News outlet Mash highlighted this, reporting that the requirements were addressed to the “publisher of the shooter games PUBG and PUBG Mobile.” However, this is not entirely accurate.
Proxima Beta Pte. Limited is a Singaporean legal entity of Tencent, which operates the company's gaming business outside of China. This includes, for example, the international publishing brand Level Infinite, responsible for the distribution and promotion of games in the global market, including PUBG Mobile.
Therefore, contrary to Mash’s report, this concerns the mobile version of the shooter. The desktop version of PUBG is still managed by Krafton, which does not appear in the database.
Information from the Roskomnadzor website
In September 2023, Roskomnadzor first included Proxima Beta in the register of information dissemination organizers. At that time, the company was also fined 1 million rubles for failing to localize the personal data of Russian players. Proxima Beta (Tencent) admitted guilt and stated that it would handle data through a Russian legal entity.
Failure to comply with the new requirements may lead to several restrictions for PUBG Mobile, ranging from advertising bans to service blockaments. However, no actions have yet been taken against Proxima Beta.