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PUBG Corporation removes Tencent from publishing on PUBG Mobile in India following ban

The PUBG Corporation is working to remove its mobile game from a list of over 100 Chinese-related apps that were recently banned in India.

TJ Denzer

September 8, 2020 7:20 AM

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Various mobile app developers are likely concerned about losing business in India following a blanket ban of over 100 apps in the country over the course of the last month due to concerns of cybersecurity in its ever-increasing tensions with China. That said, the PUBG Corporation is one of a few of the companies affected that also might be able to do something about it. It has stepped in to pull publishing duties from Tencent Mobile in India on the banned PUBG Mobile with the intention of working to get the app unbanned in the country.

PUBG Corporation posted on its decision on the PUBG website on September 7, 2020. According to the statement released, the PUBG Corporation will be officially pulling authorization of publishing from Tencent Games in India and take over publishing duties itself, effective immediately.

“PUBG Corporation fully understands and respects the measures taken by the government as the privacy and security of player data is a top priority for the company,” the statement reads. “It hopes to work hand-in-hand with the Indian government to find a solution that will allow gamers to once again drop into the battlegrounds while being fully compliant with Indian laws and regulations.”

The decision comes after PUBG Mobile fell on a 118-item list of mobile apps to be banned by the Indian government over concerns of the way in which these apps transmit data from users. Previously, social apps like TikTok also fell under bans in the country for similar reasons. As pointed out by people closer to the scene, such as Rishi Alwani of The Mako Reactor and Rahul Puri of The Gaming Reporter, it’s questionable if the move means as much as PUBG Corp wants it to if Tencent still handles publishing of PUBG Mobile elsewhere. Given the nature of the ban and the situation of political unrest between India and China, simply taking Tencent off the game in India alone may not be enough.

Regardless, the PUBG Corporation knows they have a market in India for PUBG Mobile and don’t seem interested in letting it get away easily. Stay tuned for more on this story as further information and details become available.

TJ Denzer

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.