PUBG Mobile India generated an understandable amount of hype, the moment its parent company, PUBG Corp, stated that it will be launching the game as a version that’s tailored for the Indian audience and compliant with all government guidelines. Since then, numerous speculations about the launch of PUBG Mobile India have been persistent, and on and off, have claimed that the launch of the game is imminent. Things have now come to a point where concrete, official information on the matter is scarce on the ground, barring reports that are all largely speculative. Now, from earlier today, two standalone reports have claimed the polar opposite — while one says that the game may launch in early December, the other alleges that the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), which handles all things technology, is yet to give any clearance to PUBG Corp to re-launch the game across application stores in India.
The first report in question, courtesy of Zee News, cites the registration of PUBG India Pvt Ltd with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Govt of India as the basis for its speculation. According to the report, the registration of PUBG Corp’s India subsidiary marks the company’s official registration as an Indian entity, which in turn will enable them to reintroduce the game in India. PUBG Corp is reportedly interested in investing up to $100 million (~Rs 740 crore) in India, in order to boost India’s professional gaming ecosystem. PUBG Mobile, prior to being banned, was considered by many as a trendsetter in helping build India’s mobile gaming ecosystem as we know it today. Tournaments featuring the game also drew considerable sponsorship and visibility in major streaming platforms, and according to Zee News’ report, all of this is set to trickle back into action as early as the first week of December — only days away from now.
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However, a separate report by Inside Sport has claimed the opposite. Its report cites an unnamed ministry official affiliated with MeitY as stating that the mere registration of PUBG India Pvt Ltd as a registered company in the country does not specifically mean anything — which sounds like a fairly accurate explanation of things. As a result, the game is reportedly yet to receive government clearance to operate in the country once again. While this will likely add a damper to the spirit of gamers in India waiting for the return of PUBG Mobile, it also sounds more accurate. Ever since the government of India moved to ban each of the 267 apps alleged to have ties with Chinese entities, no app (including the once virally popular TikTok) has so far received clearance to re-operate in the country. Such an incident will also most likely see the government of India announce the same via official communication.
As a result, gamers are advised to take all reports of “immediate” launch dates with a pinch of salt. The PUBG Mobile India website still holds no concrete information regarding the launch of the game, and barring a few teasers, there has been little in the way of official communication coming from PUBG India, or any government entity with authority to decide on PUBG Mobile India’s fate.