Extra Life- PUBG Mobile Sheds China Link to Reach Indian Gaming Fans

Business Standard Extra life? PUBG Mobile sheds China link to reach Indian gaming fans

South Korean company said it respected the measures taken by the govt as the privacy and security of player data was a top priority for the firm.

PUBG Corporation, the owner and publisher of popular multiplayer gaming application PUBG, has decided against authorising the franchise of the mobile version of the game in India to Chinese firm Tencent Games. This opens up the possibility of the gaming application returning to Indian handsets.

In a blogpost on Tuesday, the South Korean company said it respected the measures taken by the (Indian) government as the privacy and security of player data was a top priority for the company. "Moving forward, PUBG Corporation will take on all publishing responsibilities within the country. As the company explores ways to provide its own PUBG experience for India in the near future, it is committed to doing so by sustaining a localised and healthy gameplay environment for its fans," it said in the blog.

PUBG was one of the 118 mobile apps of Chinese origin or link to have been banned by the Union government last week, on national security grounds. Even though PUBG Corporation is a South Korean company with its headquarters in Seoul, Tencent Gaming, a subsidiary of Chinese investment and technology giant Tencent, holds the global franchise for the mobile version of the game. According to local media reports, Tencent also owns as much as 10 per cent in Bluehole Studio, the parent company of PUBG Corporation which developed the game.

"This development opens a possibility of legal recourse for the South Korean owners to be able to appeal before the government or the courts to secure either a revoke or dilution of the ban. However, any such decision will only go through a review committee under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity)," said Salman Waris, managing partner at specialist technology law firm TechLegis Advocates & Solicitor.

"From the technical perspective too, the company would need to set up local servers if necessary. So the process could take three to six months,’’ he said.