The Indian version of PUBG has been pulled from the Google Play Store and Apple App Store, in what appears to be another move after the government banned the hugely popular mobile game PUBG. Developed by South Korean company Kafton, the game was previously published in India by Chinese company Tencent. Banned in border clashes between India and China.
The developer quickly re-released the game under a new name (and censored visuals), allowing it to evade government action.
It is unclear why India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology appears to have ordered the reinstatement of the ban; it recently told the Telangana High Court that BGMI and PUBG are different games and no state has asked for the former to be banned. In a recent parliamentary inquiry, the government said PUBG was banned, with no mention of BGMI at all.
The removal of BGMI is bound to have a huge impact on the Indian gaming ecosystem. Last month, the game surpassed 100 million unique players, which means that at least 1 in 13 people in India have installed and opened the game. Kafton had promised to invest up to $100 million in India, but the government suddenly made a decision for no apparent reason.
It's also a case study for businesses that prefer a charm offensive and diplomacy with the Indian government rather than going to court for legal recourse. First TikTok and now BGMI, both companies have tried everything to get the ban on their services removed, except for the obvious option of going to court.
Both companies have failed, but Krafton's failure is more striking, investing millions in the aftermath of PUBG's ban and now facing the prospect of being cut off from what could be its biggest source of revenue, India.
