PUBG Mobile banned in India, along with 117 other Chinese-owned apps
Will PUBG Mobile make a comeback in India?
Rabia Sayal 
Image via PUBG Corporation
Amid the rising tensions with China, the Indian government has swung the ban hammer again, affecting 118 Chinese-owned apps in total. This time, India’s most popular and revolutionary game, PUBG Mobile, which has over 33 million active users and is owned by Tencent, a Chinese company, is included in the list. This means that PUBG Mobile will not be available on the Android and iOS app stores, and even the players who already have the game on their devices will not be able to play it.
According to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, the mobile games have been banned under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act because they are engaged in activities that are prejudicial to the sovereignty and integrity of India, the defense of India, the security of the state, and public order. “This decision is a targeted move to ensure safety, security, and sovereignty of Indian cyberspace,” the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology said.
PUBG Mobile made changes to its privacy policy for the Indian users recently, but it still ended up having to face the ban. The ban could badly affect the Indian gaming community and the esports scene linked to it, including major tournaments like the PUBG Mobile Club Open Fall Spilt 2020.
In response to the ban, the administrator of the official discord server of PUBG Mobile, Bellatrix, has stated that the PUBGM team is not just sitting there and watching their game getting banned. They will do their best to find solutions. Now the question is, will PUBG Mobile make changes to the privacy policies again, and make a comeback, or adopt some other method?
Before this ban wave, in late June the Indian government banned the Mobile Legends and Clash of Kings games, along with 57 other Chinese-owned apps.
About the author
