PUBG Mobile Is Back as Battlegrounds Mobile India, but Is It Here to Stay?
PUBG Mobile is back in a new avatar, Battlegrounds Mobile India, in the country as a result of its months-long ban. Though Krafton claims the new game is designed to address concerns over its original version, it’s actually not new — it is just what Chinese audiences have had all along. Battlegrounds Mobile India has emerged more like a marginally tweaked version of PUBG Mobile, with just a handful of (unnecessary) differences. And there’s no India-specific changes here, with those tricolour posters relegated to the marketing teasers.
This week, host Akhil Arora talks about Battlegrounds Mobile India on Gadgets 360 podcast Orbital with Deputy Video Head Cyrus John, who played Battlegrounds Mobile India, and Deputy News Editor Veer Arjun Singh, one of the most experienced PUBG Mobile players in the team.
Battlegrounds Mobile India is currently available in early access for Android users. Game publisher Krafton claimed just hours after the release of the battle royale title that it crossed the mark of 5 million downloads. But it has not been a smooth initial success for the game.
Weeks ahead of Battlegrounds Mobile India’s formal launch, Arunachal Pradesh Member of Legislative Assembly Ninong Ering urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ban the game. The government did not publicly respond to Ering.
Shortly after its release, the Indian avatar of PUBG Mobile was found to be sending data to servers outside the country, even in China. That data-sharing issue was, however, fixed when it was reported online. It’s funny because the ties to China were allegedly among the concerns that resulted in the ban of the original title in September last year. Traders’ body Confederation Of All India Traders (CAIT) has also demanded a ban of the new game citing it was sending user data outside the country.
