In two separate RTI applications, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) disclosed that no permission to relaunch in the country was given to Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds Mobile India. The ministry replied that it does not grant permission to start any applications, meaning the app will not be pre-approved.
In response to an RTI question, MeitY said It does not grant permission for the starting of any websites/mobile apps/service. Consequently, MeitY has not given permission to PUBG Mobile India.” MeitY, along with many other Chinese apps, is the same ministry that banned the game.
The inquiry sought clarification as to whether Krafton or its subsidiary, PUBG Corporation, had requested or obtained permission to relaunch PUBG Mobile in the region.
Last month, the South Korean company PUBG Corporation announced the launch, a game-specific to India that could bring back the country’s iconic smartphone gaming title.
The company also reported that the Indian market was promised to cultivate” the local version of the multiplayer-shooter game that the government banned in September this year for investments worth approximately Rs 734 crores ($100 million).
In another RTI response, MeitY claimed that no permission had been granted for it to be launched in India. “MeitY has not given any permission for launch of PUBG,”MeitY has not given any permission to launch it.
MeitY’s RTI responses do not include any other information on whether the India-specific PUBG Mobile game – teased to arrive in India soon – would be released with the help of the government.
Soon after the app was banned, PUBG Corporation took over the PUBG Mobile franchise in the country from China-based Tencent Games. The organization is also working to develop in-game content and set up a local office with more than 100 new employees.
“In addition to establishing a local office, the company will look to actively collaborate and leverage local businesses to strengthen its gaming service.” PUBG Corporation said while announcing the launch.
Influencers, pro-players, and pro-teams from PUBG Mobile have returned to playing the game, streaming it and engaging in competitive scrims, thereby monetizing the game while it is still prohibited.
These players play the game mostly with the view that they do not break the law because they play the Mobile version of KR, which seems to be a calm misunderstanding of what the ban means. The game was banned by the government of India’s Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology. This appears to be the same reason why the Play Store and App Store do not have the KR version of the game.
