The much-awaited re-launch of the Indian version of the popular mobile game PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, or PUBG may hit a roadblock as it may have to first seek the government’s nod.
There is a buzz that the Indian version of the gaming app will be launched sometime this week, but there has been no confirmation on the date of launch from PUBG Corp. The company did not respond to Mint’s queries at the time of writing.
After the ban, a detailed questionnaire was sent to the gaming company more than two months ago that focused not only on the company’s ownership pattern but also raised several questions pertaining to security and privacy, a senior government official said. “There were also questions on data sharing with other companies," the official said on condition of anonymity. PUBG may not be allowed relaunch if it does not resolve the concerns raised by the government.
On September 2, the ministry of electronics and information technology (MeitY) had banned 118 Chinese apps, including PUBG, against the backdrop of border tensions between India and China. Thereafter, PUBG Mobile’s parent, PUBG Corp severed ties with Chinese gaming company Tencent Games. In November, PUBG Corporation’s parent company Krafton signed a deal with Microsoft to use their Azure cloud network to store user data.
Mint had earlier reported that a new licensing agreement is in the works with an Indian gaming firm to pass on the rights to run the PUBG Mobile game in India. Unlike earlier, the South Korean company PUBG Corp. will now retain the publishing rights for the game.
“The issue is more nuanced. The original ban was enforced because of the data harvesting practices and the impending issues that may arise because of the use of such data surreptitiously against the interests of the nation. Cutting ties with Tencent will help, but the fine print of the data storage and privacy policy would be crucial in ascertaining the fate of the game," said Vinay Shukla, senior associate at Nishith Desai Associates. “Launching the game by floating a new entity will not be in the spirit of the law," said Shukla.
PUBG Corp. last month made India centric announcements, including plans for 100 local hires and $100 million investment. Also, characters in the game will now automatically be clothed to allay nudity related concerns.
“PUBG is clearly going in for an India facelift and overhaul. Big investment announcements always make good optics, even when the details are fuzzy," said Prasanto K. Roy, a technology and policy consultant.
However, Roy feels launching the game won’t be easy. “It won’t be smooth sailing. MeitY had banned the game and it won’t easily backtrack just because they’ve floated a new company. The government wants to keep driving home the message that it can hit out hard at anything Chinese-linked. The Chinese ‘heritage’ is a stain that will be hard for PUBG to wash off," said Roy.
The ban on apps and games with Chinese links was implemented to counter Chinese influence in India after the clash on the Indo-China border. So far 267 apps and games directly owned by or with links to Chinese companies have been banned in India.
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