PUBG Corporations has revealed that it plans to invest $100 million USD (roughly Rs 746 crores) that will contribute to the Indian gaming, esports, entertainment, and IT industries.
This development confirms that PUBG Mobile will be coming back in India. The creator of the game Krafton on Thursday, 12 November, announced that it is preparing to launch PUBG Mobile INDIA, a new game created specifically for the Indian market.
Though confirmed, the creators of the game haven’t set an official date for the release of the game in India and said that “more information on the launch of PUBG MOBILE INDIA will be released at a later date.”
Privacy of Indian Players Top Priority
With privacy and security of Indian players’ data being a top priority for PUBG Corporation, the company will conduct regular audits and verifications on the storage systems holding Indian users’ personally identifiable information to reinforce security and ensure that their data is safely managed, the company said.
Since data security is a key issue, the creators of the game have also said that “the company will conduct regular audits and verifications on the storage systems holding Indian users’ personally identifiable information to reinforce security and ensure that their data is safely managed.”
How PUBG Plans to Go Local
PUBG India has announced that it will work with local businesses to strengthen its gaming services. South Korea-based Krafton Inc plans to invest around $100 million in the country. Krafton has signed a global collaboration with Microsoft Azure.
The company also said that PUBG Corporation plans to create an Indian subsidiary to enhance communications and services with players. The Indian company will hire over 100 employees specialising in business, esports, and game development.
In addition to establishing a local office, the company will look to actively collaborate and leverage local businesses to strengthen its gaming service.
In the new version of India-specific PUBG Mobile India, the characters will be fully dressed, this wasn’t the case in the previous version where the game characters were half-naked and have to be dressed with the help of attires won or bought in the game, reported India Today.
Revoking Distribution Rights for Game
Earlier China’s Tencent Games operated in India under a licence, but after the company was unable to suffice with the Indian laws, PUBG corporation stated that it will revoke distribution rights for the game in India from Tencent.
PUBG Corporation will directly operate the PUBG Mobile India.
Directly operating the game solves the key problem of Chinese ownership, though it’s unclear whether the Indian government will indeed permit it, reported Livemint.
It is unclear whether the company will return players’ in-game purchases.
PUBG Mobile was banned by the Indian government on 4 September citing security issues. It was one of the most popular mobile multiplayer game with over 50 million daily active users.
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