PUBG Mobile takes hit with ban by Indian government

02 September 2020

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PUBG Mobile has been banned in India by the government in a cull involving over 100 other mobile applications.

The Indian government has found a number of apps to be “prejudicial to the sovereignty and integrity of India, Defence of India, Security of State and Public Order,” including one of the most popular esports in India, PUBG Mobile.

PUBG Mobile Map
Image credit: Tencent

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The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology stated that they had “received many complaints from various sources, including several reports of misuse of some mobile apps.” Allegedly, the apps were “stealing and surreptitiously transmitting users’ data in an “unauthorised manner to servers which have locations outside India.”

PUBG Mobile had been rising in popularity in India in the esports community prior to this point, with western organisations such as Fnatic and TSM both recruiting rosters from the country. The title even has its own regional esports initiative from Tencent.

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India was also the country with the most downloads for the mobile title, amounting to over 175 million downloads throughout its lifetime. Reports state that the title generated a revenue gain of $1.3 billion (£977 million) globally.

The Indian government believes this is the right step towards a safer online community, finishing its statement by stating: “This move will safeguard the interests of crores of Indian mobile and internet users. This decision is a targeted move to ensure safety, security and sovereignty of Indian cyberspace.

Esports Insider says: This will no doubt have a huge impact on the esports community in India, and it comes as a shock too, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi had actually recently spoken out in support of the gaming and esports industry. The recent crackdown on the use of personal data all across the world continues, and India evidently isn’t exempt.

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