It seems that PUBG Mobile, which has now been revamped to Battlegrounds Mobile India just can’t catch a break in India. After getting banned in the country by the Indian Government claiming national security issues, the developer took a step back and came back as a renewed product which apparently had no ties with China. Unfortunately, some Indian politicians are not having it and have called for a ban on this game as well.
Battlegrounds Mobile India was announced earlier this month and was positioned as a game with no link to Tencent or China. The reason for this was the ban of the original game along with a whole bunch of other Chinese apps for national security reasons. India and China were also amidst tense border disputes at the time. As spotted by IGN India, Former Union Minister and current Arunachal Pradesh MLA Ninong Ering has appealed to Prime Minister Modi to ban the upcoming game as well.
In a detailed request, Ering has quoted that Battlegrounds Mobile India is, “a mere illusion and a trick to relaunch the same game with minor modifications and collect user data of millions of our citizens, including our children and transfer it to foreign companies and the Chinese government.”
Ering further wrote that Krafton’s $22.4 million investment in Nodwin Gaming, which will host the game on its servers, is a major security concern, as the company has “extensive ongoing ties” with Tencent. It seems that the fact that Nodwin is linked to Tencent via Krafton is a cause for concern to Ering, who is convinced that this game is PUBG Mobile with revamped branding.
Additionally, Member of Parliament Abhishek Singhvi also tweeted out saying that allowing the launch of the game would once again grant Tencent access into the country.
This was an outcome that Krafton was worried about while planning promotional activities for the game. Affiliated content creators were asked not to use terms like “PUBG Mobile” as they were afraid of getting banned all over again.
It remains to be seen what the fate of Battlegrounds Mobile India will be. IGN India’s sources have said that there should be no problem as long as Krafton follows sata security and privacy rules.