On Monday, the government banned 47 additional Chinese apps in India. They are reported to be working as clones of some of the Chinese apps that were banned in June. A new list is expected to be out shortly and it is expected to include 250 names, including PUBG.
Is PUBG a Chinese app?
Battle royale game PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) has been developed by a South Korean video game company called Bluehole. However, Chinese multinational conglomerate Tencent holds a considerable amount of share in the popular game.
Also Read: PUBG GLOBAL EXTREME CHALLENGE TEAMS WITH PAULO DYBALA, DE BRUYNE, BOWMAN
PUBG ban impact on Indian users
Indian users have been severely addicted to PUBG ever since its launch in March 2018. Today, apart from millions of downloads, this game is also one of the most played games in India. In fact, Indian smartphone gaming became a rage in 2019 with more powerful smartphones available at a lesser price. At the same time, cheaper data plans were available, making it easier for more people to join the online gaming bandwagon. According to a Jana survey in 2018, almost 62% respondents played PUBG. Free Fire was the next most popular game, which 21% of the respondents played.
Rising PUBG popularity during the lockdown
Digital media monitor SEMRush highlighted that during the lockdown, online games such as PUBG, Minecraft, Fortnight Battle Royale and Clash of Clans gained immense traffic. Data from early June also suggests that 22 lakh people in India played PUBG in May and more Indians were participating in online. gaming competitions. Not just that, lakhs of people also played some of the other popular online games available in India. Unfortunately, the Indian gaming providers have not been able to provide the right set of games for the Indian audiences. However, Indian developers are gearing up and they are likely to come up with something soon. After the video sharing app TikTok was banned in India, Mitron was launched. Founded by an Indian, this app is out to challenge the popularity of TikTok. Although reviews are not promising, new grounds have been broken. Watch out this space for the latest updates on PUBG India ban!
