PUBG Is Back; To Relaunch As Battlegrounds Mobile India

South Korean video game developer Krafton, on Thursday (May 6), formally announced the return of the banned video game PUBG Mobile to India, albeit in a new avatar. The game will be called Battlegrounds Mobile India and will be available only for users in India. 

Krafton has said that the mobile game will provide a AAA multiplayer gaming experience with exclusive in-game events such as outfits or skins, among other features. In the esports industry, AAA or triple-A classification is used for games with the highest development budgets and levels of promotion. AAA titles are expected to be high-quality games and become bestsellers. 

Krafton has also officially revealed the poster of the game, which was leaked through social media and then deleted a few days ago. While an expected launch date hasn’t been announced, Krafton has said that there’ll be a pre-registration window before the launch. The company, which has also begun hiring in India for various roles under PUBG Corporation, will collaborate with partners to build an esports ecosystem. 

Krafton has further asserted that users’ data privacy and security will be its utmost priority. The claim is particularly relevant considering PUBG Mobile was banned in September last year, along with several Chinese apps believed to be jeopardising the data privacy of users. PUBG, whose intellectual property is owned by South Korea-based Krafton (earlier PUBG Corporation), fell into the net as China-based Tencent Games was PUBG Mobile’s distribution partner in India.

After the ban, PUBG Corporation revoked its ties with Tencent in India and announced that it would launch an India-specific version of PUBG Mobile with local gameplay elements. The company also said that it would set up an India entity, where it would invest $100 Mn to support the local esports ecosystem.

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