India’s PUBG Alternative FAU-G Live For Pre-Registration On Play Store

Fearless and United Guards or (FAU-G), the ‘Made in India’ video game pitched as an alternative to the hugely popular first-person shooter (FPS) game PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG), went live for pre-registration on the Google Play Store on Monday (November 30). 

Users who choose to pre-register for the game, get notified when it’s available for installation on their device. 

FAU-G, developed by nCore Games, was first announced in September this year, around the time when PUBG Mobile was banned in India, as part of the government’s sweeping ban on 118 Chinese apps. 

Though PUBG has been developed by South Korea-based PUBG Corporation, the mobile version of the video game was being distributed in India by the Chinese company Tencent Games. This meant that PUBG Mobile was caught in the crossfire of India’s ban on Chinese apps, which began in late-June.

Discounting the obvious similarity in the genres of both video games, Vishal Gondal, the cofounder of nCore Games, who’s also the founder of fitness tech brand GoQII, has said in interviews that FAU-G is not meant to compete with PUBG. 

A teaser video for FAU-G, released in October, had revealed that the game is set in Ladakh’s Galwan Valley, where the Indian and Chinese armies have had a spate of clashes since June this year. The teaser video had said that the game would be released in November this year. However, now it seems that the game is looking at a release this month. 

Interestingly, just as pre-registrations for FAU-G have begun, speculations continue to mount over whether PUBG Mobile will make a comeback in India. Earlier this month, PUBG Corporation had announced that the company would release ‘PUBG Mobile India’, an India-specific version of the game, with localised customisable elements and new features. 

The company had also announced that it would set up an India entity, hire game developers and invest $100 Mn for its operations in the country. Netizens soon discovered that PUBG India Private Limited was registered with India’s Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA). Meanwhile, PUBG Mobile India’s website says “Coming Soon”. 

However, rebutting the news doing the rounds about PUBG Mobile’s India relaunch, an InsideSport report cited government sources as saying that no permission has been granted to the PUBG Corporation or any of its entities to re-start operations in the country.

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