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Krafton fined over misleading PUBG loot box odds

Soumyakanti — Sat, 21 Jun 2025 21:33:11 +0000

The South Korean Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) has fined game publisher Krafton 2.5 million won (approximately $1,800) for misrepresenting loot box probabilities in PUBG: Battlegrounds. The fine is part of a broader regulatory push following amendments to South Korea’s Game Industry Act, which now requires developers to clearly disclose the odds of obtaining in-game items tied to random chance.

The KFTC’s ruling focuses on two specific violations during Krafton’s promotional events. Between March and June 2023, Krafton launched a collaboration with K-pop group NewJeans and advertised that players would be guaranteed to receive a specific cosmetic item on their fifth attempt. In reality, the actual success probability on the fifth try was only 9 percent. In another case, the company displayed drop rates between 0.1414% and 0.7576% for certain item crafting systems, but the actual chance of success was zero.

Mobile game publisher Com2uS received the same penalty for its game Starseed: Asnia Trigger. Between March and May 2023, the company sold bundles claiming that three items each had a 24 percent chance to enhance character stats. However, only one item had any actual effect, while the other two were functionally useless.

In addition to the fines, both companies must submit preventive action plans to the KFTC within 30 days. Krafton has refunded over 1.1 billion won (around $870,000) to more than 380,000 affected players and issued about 9.8 billion won in in-game currency as compensation. Com2uS granted 200,000 won worth of in-game currency to each of its 1.55 million users, regardless of whether they made related purchases.

The KFTC stated that it will continue to monitor game publishers closely and enforce stricter oversight of misleading loot box practices. It added that additional penalties will follow if companies fail to comply with disclosure rules. Investigations into other major developers, including Webzen and NCSoft, are ongoing.

In related news, Ayaneo recently launched the Pocket S2 and Pocket S2 Pro gaming handhelds, featuring a detachable D-pad and a 10,000mAh battery.

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(Via)

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PUBG is Bringing Back its Iconic Erangel Map for Two Whole Weeks, Starting Next Month

Anubhav — Thu, 25 Apr 2024 01:52:41 +0000

PUBG: Battlegrounds is getting nostalgic! The game that started the battle royale craze is bringing back its original map, Erangel, for a two-week run in May and June.

The old map fused with new mechanics will keep the game interesting.

Erangel Classic aims to recreate the early days of PUBG. Expect the original map layout, graphics, atmosphere, and even the user interface. But don’t worry, veterans – Krafton (who bought PUBG) promises “modern tweaks” to keep gameplay smooth. Think of it like a classic game remake – capturing the original feel with some quality-of-life improvements.

This trip down memory lane is likely inspired by Fortnite’s successful return of its original map last year. Erangel Classic will double down on nostalgia with foggy weather, bench weapons on the starting island (get ready to fight for loot!), and lower weapon recoil mimicking the original experience. You’ll even find the Tommy Gun back in care packages, and a vintage UI with a “charmingly tacky” look.

The good news for multi-platform players? The rollout is staggered! Play Erangel Classic on PC from May 14th to May 28th, then on consoles from May 23rd to June 6th. During this time, the modern Erangel map will be unavailable. Keep an eye out for the May 14th patch notes for all the Erangel Classic details.

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(Via)

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PUBG creators Krafton bet big on India’s gaming ecosystem

Sean — Thu, 10 Aug 2023 09:02:08 +0000

Krafton, the publisher behind the massively successful PUBG franchise, is looking to empower the Indian gaming ecosystem. The company will invest in local gaming startups, betting on the region’s growth potential.

Krafton investing in India’s gaming future

Earlier today (10th August 2023), the company announced that it will be investing a sizeable sum of 150 million US Dollars in India for gaming and interactive entertainment startups. This investment will be across the next two to three years. The move from Krafton is likely to expand its presence in the region, which has immense potential in the gaming market. Its hefty investment also follows after its initial 140 million US Dollar investment across 11 Indian startups back in 2021.

In other words, Krafton has poured 290 million US Dollars into the country so far, making it one of the major investors in recent times. The publisher first began its investment with the esports gaming firm Nodwin. It invested in Series A to Series B stage startups for gaming and entertainment like esports, multimedia entertainment, content creation, and more.

As of right now, Krafton has invested in various game development studios like Nautilus Mobile and Lila Games along with the game streaming platform Loco, and others. Now, a third of its 150 million US Dollar investment will be for deep tech companies while another third will go towards new startups.

PUBG Mobile Celebrates its 5th Anniversary with New Bugatti Collection

Sean — Thu, 16 Mar 2023 14:41:32 +0000

Following rumors of a special collaboration with a luxury car brand, PUBG has officially announced that it will be partnering up with Bugatti to bring a new collection to its PUBG Mobile app to celebrate its 5th year anniversary.

The mobile port of the popular battle royale title is collaborating with known the luxury automobile maker to bring a brand new Bugatti collection. As of right now, the company has just teased the upcoming collaboration that will roll out with the PUBG Mobile 2.5 update. So, finer details regarding the update is still unclear but considering that PUBG Mobile is known for its impressive collaboration, we can expect to see some great collection of the supercars.

As per the official Tencent announcement, the Bugatti partnership will be dropping soon and players will soon get to try their “hands on a masterpiece, starting March 17th”. This collection ships with the global release of update 2.5 version. So as of right now, the studio has only shared a single image to tease this highly anticipated collaboration. Furthermore, the mobile game will also be bringing a new game mode called ‘Wonder of Wonder’.

In this new game mode, we will see various new maps to provide a refreshed gameplay experience to the fans. The 5th anniversary also brings special anniversary theme gameplay dubbed Imagiversary that will be available on 18th March 2023. This mode will include a backpack that comes with a unique item that is known as a ‘supply converter’ that lets you make new supplies by converting two of them together.

BGMI ban: a comment on the dilemma of the youth, national security or social prosperity?

Divyansh Mehta — Tue, 02 Aug 2022 06:05:46 +0000

The popular battle-royale game Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) was banned as a result of a report from a central intelligence agency and a message from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity).

The report discussed offenses that could lead to cyber dangers by gathering user data for the purpose of conducting targeted cyberattacks against Indian users.

A senior government official claims that although the application has other problems, the biggest issue was that it was talking to servers that are either directly or indirectly situated in China. Other apps that have “rebranded” have also been confirmed by sources to be connecting with Chinese servers and are under investigation. After several iterations of study by the Indian officials, the government requested Google to delete the application from the Play Store.

According to News18, a senior government official on the condition of anonymity said, “The analysis also showed that this application has malicious code and also acquires a host of critical permissions, which could be misused for compromising user data for surveillance through camera/microphone, location tracking, and malicious network activities.”

The official added that such apps are a risk to India’s security grid and have the potential to harm the country’s sovereignty and integrity.

Although the official decision to ban BGMI from India has not yet been issued, MeitY has asked the affected companies to remove it from app marketplaces like Google Play and App Store. Following Krafton’s presentation of its case, a final conclusion regarding a complete ban is still impending.

According to the developer, efforts are being made to revive the game. The South Korean video game developer and distributor, recently released a statement in which it expressed its commitment to the Indian market and its optimism about the potential there. “At KRAFTON, the security and privacy of our user data are of utmost importance to us. We have always been compliant with all the laws and regulations in India, including data protection laws and regulations, and will continue abiding by them.”

The report adds that a number of Chinese apps have rebranded themselves to circumvent the ban in India. They don’t have any servers in India and gather sensitive information like ‘location and audio’.

While BGMI was supposed to be a dedicated game for the Indian market and crossed over 100 million users in a year, clearly, the Indian government is still not happy with how the app is processing user data.

Altogether, the ban seems like a decent way to go if Krafton is unable to deliver a solid case for themselves. However, if the India-dedicated version comes out from the abyss, we shall see a revival of hope for the youth to socialize and entertain once again.

Teenager shoots his mother dead in India for blocking him from playing PUBG/BGMI

Jed John Ikoba — Thu, 09 Jun 2022 19:36:09 +0000

An Indian teenager is alleged to have shot his mum for preventing him from playing the PUBG/BGMI game. The boy, aged 16 years, is said to have used his father’s pistol to commit the murder and hid the corpse for three days. The suspect has been taken into custody and he has confessed to the crime after interrogation.

The incident happened in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh and the boy allegedly pulled the trigger after an argument with his mother. In the heat of the argument over the highly engaging PUBG/BGMI, the boy took his father’s weapon and fired at his mother. He thereafter hid the dead body inside the house and used an air freshener to mask the smell. The Police in Uttar Pradesh says the incident happened around 3 am on June 5 and the boy’s gaming device has been sent for analysis.

There are no indications yet on the identity of the boy but it was reported that the father is a serving army personnel. The argument was said to be related to a case of missing money in the house. The mother had accused the boy of stealing the money and stopped him from playing the game. The boy was alleged to have threatened his 10-year-old sister from revealing the sordid act. The boy now in a juvenile facility, initially claimed that an electrician was the person who killed his mother.

The teenager seemingly had a grand scheme to cover up his crime. He had invited a friend to spend the night with him and his sister after the incident. The call to the police was made by the relatives of the boy and the young sister is now in the custody of her father and grandparents.

There are no direct links at this time between the game and the actions taken by the boy. The possibility of such a link should however not be lost. Further investigations should provide illumination and clarity to the incident.

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India Made Underworld Gang Wars Battle Royale crosses 2 million pre-registrations

Sudhanshu — Thu, 09 Jun 2022 12:12:02 +0000

Riding the hype and success of PUBG and BGMI in India, many domestic studios have started the development of their own battle royale games for mobile. A good example would be Indus Battle Royale which is a futuristic BR game in development with an Indian flavor.

Now, another Indian studio named Mayhem Studios has begun pre-registrations (on Google Play Store) for their upcoming Battle Royale title dubbed Underworld Gang Wars (UGW). The game has already crossed 2 million pre-registrations in just one week and the numbers are continuously growing.

The game’s trailer has also crossed 17 million views on Youtube and has so far had a positive reception from the Indian mobile gaming community. The game appears to draw inspiration from popular gangster flicks like Gangs of Wasseypur, Sacred Games, and Mirzapur.

So far, the game appears to have a gang based battle royale mode and another game mode that likely pits the two gangs called Bhokal Toli and Velvets against each other. This could be something similar to Battlefield’s war mode where two teams made up of multiple players collide in a ‘capture the objective’ type setting. On the other hand, it could also be a Team Death Match style game mode.

The trailer also reveals a map called “Dhantara” which the devs have stated is based on real life locations in India. The map itself seems quite interesting with diverse locations and varied topography.

As the game is already available for pre registrations, it can be expected to launch sometime this year. Stay tuned for more updates on the Mayhem Studios’ Underworld Gang Wars.

Indian themed Indus Battle Royale will release soon to rival BGMI

Sudhanshu — Wed, 26 Jan 2022 13:28:23 +0000

So far, the Indian mobile gaming scene has been dominated by battle royales like BGMI (Battlegrounds Mobile India) and Garena Free Fire. Now, the Pune-based game studio SuperGaming has announced its upcoming game in the genre dubbed Indus Battle Royale.

According to the official website, the made-in-India game aims to showcase the Indian culture with a futuristic twist for gamers all across the globe. The studio is currently developing deep lore for the game along with immersive surroundings inspired by real-life locations in India. At its core, the game will be a battle royale and therefore will consist of guns and a gameplay system that you would expect from any modern-day BR title.

Interestingly, the game will not be limited to just mobile devices, as stated on the website, and will be released for PC and consoles too. Releases on all three platforms are scheduled for 2022. The studio has stated that the decision for making a battle royale game was due to the success of their previous games like MaskGun and Silly Royale which focus on social and multiplayer interactions.

It would be interesting to see what new flavor the game would adopt to go up against dominant games in the BR genre like BGMI (PUBG India), PUBG Mobile, and Free Fire and if it would be able to match their quality and polish. However, the initial reveal look interesting enough to create some anticipation for the upcoming Indus.

PUBG maker is suing Apple, Google, & Free Fire developer Garena

Sean — Fri, 14 Jan 2022 09:56:19 +0000

The develop behind PUBG (PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds) has just recently filed a lawsuit against major companies, Apple and Google, along with the maker of “PUBG Clones” developer, Garena as well.

According to The Verge, Krafton Inc is suing Garena for developing two games that are allegedly a copy of its existing title, PUBG: Battlegrounds. This was the original battle royale game that kicked off the BR trend while also spawning its popular mobile spin offs as well. However, Garena is facing the lawsuit owing to its two mobile games, namely Free Fire and Free Fire Max. Furthermore, the company is even suing the two tech giants Apple and Google for distributing the game.

Update on the below:

1. The directors said it's not a PUBG movie, despite basically being a PUBG movie.

2. Krafton said they are considering suing given the similarities to the PUBG IP.

3. You can watch it with English subs here: https://t.co/lS1SfdTRhj https://t.co/pBdcsqZttn

— Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) August 15, 2021

According to an official statement from Krafton, “Free Fire and Free Fire Max extensively copy numerous aspects of Battlegrounds, both individually and in combination, including Battlegrounds’ copyrighted unique game opening “air drop” feature, the game structure and play, the combination and selection of weapons, armor, and unique objects, locations, and the overall choice of color schemes, materials, and textures.”

Krafton is also accusing Google for hosting YouTube videos with gameplay of the two games as well as “numerous posts containing a feature-length Chinese film that is nothing more than a blatantly infringing live action dramatization of Battlegrounds.” For those unaware, Garena’s Free Fire and Free Fire Max is available in both App Store and Play Store for free. The PUBG developer even added that Garena has earned hundreds of millions from in game sales through Apple and Google app stores.

PUBG PC will be free to play from Next year

Pranav Sawant — Sat, 11 Dec 2021 18:49:20 +0000

Back in 2017, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds took the gaming community by storm. The game offered a battle royale experience on the computer platform for a price of Rs. 1,499(~$20). But, now, the creative director of Krafton has confirmed that PUBG will be soon free-to-play.

According to Dave Curd, the creative director, PlayerUnknow’s Battleground a.k.a PUBG will be free-to-play for the PC platform. The game is touted to be free-to-play from January 12 2022. It is already up for pre-registrations and the game copy will have most of the elements free. But, some elements including ranked matchmaking will be paid.

The ranked matchmaking and other elements can be unlocked by paying a one-time fee of $12.99(~Rs. 982). This fee will essentially be an account upgrade for the game. It will unlock features like custom match modes, special in-game items, and others.

According to reports, earlier, PUBG was one of the most popular games ever with over 75 million copies sold. However, it seemed to be losing grip from the audience and to get it back, PUBG may have decided to make it free-to-play.

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[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHPGd2cxwZ0[/embedyt]

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Krafton to release Exclusive PUBG New State Music & Web Series in India

Sean — Fri, 26 Nov 2021 11:35:27 +0000

Krafton has just recently launched PUBG: New State, which has already become a hit worldwide. Now, the company is planning on taking the franchise to other fields of media as well, with a planned Exclusive web series and music being in the works for the Indian market.

The South Korean publisher behind the popular battle royale title has announced earlier today (26th November 2021) that it has partnered with Sony Music India to bring a new “Bad Boy x Bad Girl” from Indian artist Badshah into the game. Furthermore, this collaboration has also kicked off a new dance challenge, with Krafton also announcing a new PUBG New State based Web Series that is titled New State Chronicles, which aims to expand the game’s presence in the region.

Notably, the song from Badshah, which also features playback singer Nikhita Gandhi, will be used in sponsored content like streams and promotional videos. Similarly, Krafton is also bringing in popular Indian rapper Raftaar to introduce an exclusive song for PUBG: New State. This special song is written by Raftaar and will highlight the game’s new features, which would likely serve as the anthem of the game in India.

Talking about the web series, New State Chronicles is a three part serise that will feature celebrities and influencers like Awez Darbar, Kaneez Surka, Kubbra, Mortal, Mr. Faizu, Raftaar, Rannvijay Singha, Rohan, Scout, The Great Khali, and The Sound Blaze. This web series will premiere in India next month, although, the actual release date has yet to be announced. Krafton will also be hosting a dance challenge that will have winners get Google Play Store Gift Cards worth up to 5,000 US Dollars or 3,74,500 INR.

PUBG New State crosses 10 million downloads on Google Play Store within a week of launch

Jeet — Wed, 17 Nov 2021 05:05:48 +0000

A few days ago, on 11th November, PUBG: New State was launched for Android and iOS devices as a new battle royale game set in the future. The game has been popular as it has now crossed 10 million downloads on the Google Play Store.

This isn’t surprising as the game had over 55 million pre-registrations prior to its release. It has also claimed the #1 spot in over 165 countries, including South Korea, the United States, Germany, India, and Saudi Arabia, among others.

This new PUBG: New State game has been launched globally in around 200 countries. The game’s publisher Krafton has not yet announced the number of downloads taken place on the Apple App Store for iPhones and iPads.

The game had faced some post-launch issues including server crashes and smartphone bricking. However, the developers seem to have addressed and fixed those issues with a couple of updates. Several users had reported on the day of the game’s launch about the unresponsive loading screens, inability to join a match, and more.

Krafton has put in several new features into the game to make it more appealing and exciting for battle royale players. For starters, the storyline is based in the year 2051 and thus the players have access to futuristic weapons and vehicles.

Earlier this year, the company had launched Battlegrounds Mobile India which is available exclusively for Indian users. The game recently crossed 50 million downloads in the country before it was released on iOS.

PUBG New State records over 1 million downloads in just one day

Sean — Fri, 12 Nov 2021 10:42:42 +0000

Within just a day of its launch, PUBG: New State has already garnered an impressive 1 million downloads across the globe. Krafton had launched the game yesterday and it appears to have already been a success, despite suffering from various bugs.

While many players were unable to login to the account and some were unable to boot the game entirely, the game still managed to cross the million download milestone on the Google Play Store. As of right now, the game is also ranked as number 1 in the Top Charts on the iOS app store. Prior to its release, the game had already garnered a whopping 40 million pre registrations on both Google Play and Apple App Store. So, it arrives as no surprise that the game is already a hit.

For those unaware, the New State title is a part of the popular battle royal franchise but is based on a more modern setting. But while a million people have already got their hands on the game, it has not been very well received. We had previously reported on many people facing issues with unresponsive games, server disconnects, and the infamous 38 percent loading screen. Some users couldn’t even boot the game, with the worst case scenario being a rare chance of the device bricking your smartphone.

While this might make gamers stay away from the game, Krafton has acknowledged this issue and has even offered an optional update to address some of these issues. At the moment, this optional update is only available on Android devices and changes the defautl graphics API settings to OpenGL ES for devices that do not support the Vulkan API. Furthermore, the update also fixes game crashes within Vukhan that occurred on certain devices. The company also fixed an issue where optimizing the game right after launching it would cause the game to crash while also offering some overall polishing and stability fixes as well.

[Update: Also bricking phones] PUBG New State is here, but its unplayable right now

Sean — Thu, 11 Nov 2021 10:29:01 +0000

Earlier today (11th November 2021), PUBG: New State had finally launched after being teased months prior. However, while the launch was highly anticipated, it might have been a bit rushed by Krafton as the game seems unplayable at the moment.

A number of mobile gamers keen on getting in early on the fast paced and modern setting of the title were disappointed to find that they are unable to play the game. While the issue isn’t universal, various users have complained about the new game. During launch, many games see day one patch updates that fix server issues or other problems and it seems that the New State isn’t any different. Being unable to connect to the server is one of the most common issue as of right now.

Notably, the issue was even acknowledged by the game’s official Twitter account that assured that it is “looking into resolving this issue swiftly.” We can expect the server issue to be fixed by the end of the day but there are also other problems that seems more complicated. As per the official “Known Issues” list shared on PUBG New State’s official website, some Xiaomi smartphones are unable to run the game entirely.

In other words, some Xiaomi users cannot boot the game and are even shown an error that redirects them to a webpage. This site answers some FAQs related to the game crashing. It even adds that “You have been disconnected from the game due to abnormal behavior.” The issues don’t end there as those that managed to get into the game are facing unresponsive controls, random server lags, unresponsive UI, and much more. Keep in mind, its still day 1, and we can expect fixes to be one their way.

Alright.#PUBGNEWSTATE has bricked my device already.
Those on Android 12, be a bit careful I'd say.

— Mukul Sharma (@stufflistings) November 11, 2021

Update: We advise that you stay clear of the game for now since reports have surfaced of the game bricking smartphones. Mukul Sharma (@stufflistings) has just tweeted that the game bricked his Android 12 device, while other gamers also took to Twitter to share a similar incident. 91Mobiles downloaded the game on a couple of smartphones as well, with varying degrees of damage. One handset was soft bricked with possibility for recovery while another has been hard bricked.

PUBG New State is now available to download for Android via Google Play Store

Jeet — Thu, 11 Nov 2021 05:40:46 +0000

PUBG: New State, which was announced a couple of months back, is now finally available to download through the Google Play Store for Android smartphone users in India. While it has been launched for Android, the iOS version is yet to get released.

The PUBG: New State game can now be downloaded through the Google Play Store but on the Apple iOS Store, it is still listed for pre-registration. We expect it to be available for iOS users also sometime later today.

As for the requirements, the Android users will need a device with at least 2GB of RAM and Android version 6 or above. For iOS users, the requirement is an iPhone or iPad running the iOS version 13 or later. For Android devices, the size of the game is around 1.4GB while for Apple devices, it is about 1.5GB.

For those who are unaware, PUBG: New State is a battle royale game developed by PUBG Studios and comes a few months after Battlegrounds Mobile India aka BGMI. While the BGMI game is exclusive to India, PUBG: New State has been released globally.

Similar to PUBG Mobile and BGMI, the game is free to play and features a modern/urban setting for its intense battle royale-style gameplay. It appears that the company is recycling resources from the original PUBG Mobile game but has added a futuristic twist with game elements like futuristic vehicles and weapons.

Krafton has called its creation “one of the most realistic and technologically advanced mobile games to date” and has promised “a strong and consistent pipeline of new content, global service support, and anti-cheat measures” after the game gets launched.

PUBG: New State to launch globally on November 11, new trailer released

Zohaib Ahmed — Fri, 22 Oct 2021 09:47:04 +0000

After much speculation and wait, the latest PUBG: New State press release has given the mobile battle royale game a November 11 release date. The game promises to bring a near-console experience to your mobile and will be offered in 17 different languages. It will be going live for both iOS and Android in more than 200 countries on the said date. A final technical test will be performed from October 29 to October 30 beforehand though.

Developed by PUBG Studios, the game will be set in the year 2051 and will be following a futuristic, Sci-Fi theme. It’s very much set in the same universe as PUBG Mobile but is an evolution of the original game. Its story revolves around the fictitious town of Troi in a post-apocalyptic world where society has broken down and divided into factions. This Troi town will be the primary map of the game and will be joined by three more maps including the franchise-staple Erangel.

Based on early gameplay and leaks, PUBG: New State appears to be recycling resources from the original PUBG Mobile game but has added a futuristic twist with game elements like futuristic vehicles and weapons, which have been fused with traditional elements.

The South Korean game company has also revealed that they will be actively communicating with players to provide stable game services. This will be done by establishing nine global service hubs.

Extensive anti-cheat measures have also been put in place and Krafton will be banning the use of unauthorized programs, emulators, and even keyboard and mouse. Player sentiment and feedback from the community will be closely reviewed, analyzed, and reflected through in-game updates.

PUBG: New State pre-registrations cross 40 million on Play Store and App Store

Sean — Thu, 16 Sep 2021 11:55:22 +0000

Krafton Inc had recently announced the latest iteration of its popular battle royale title, which was dubbed PUBG: New State. The mobile game had begun its pre-registrations for both Android and iOS, and now, the total registrations have crossed a whopping 40 million in both Google Play Store and Apple App Store.

The game developer and publisher has just shared the news regarding the upcoming title, which is set to launch sometime next month. As of right now, New State has successfully completed its second Alpha Test in 28 countries back in August. Recently, Krafton had also made pre-registrations live for the Indian market, which is a major mobile gaming market. In other words, the impressive registrations number likely arrives due to its pre-orders for the game going live in the region.

Unlike the standalone BGMI (Battlegrounds Mobile India), PUBG: New State will be available on both Android and iOS at launch. Similar to PUBG Mobile and BGMI, the game will also be free to play but will feature a modern/urban setting for its intense battle royale styled gameplay. For those interested in registering, you can check out the app store listing for Android and iOS on Google Play Store and Apple App Store, respectively.

Minkyu Park, Executive Producer of PUBG: NEW STATE stated that “We’ve been able to achieve this level of success because of fan enthusiasm globally and their belief in PUBG Studios work. We’re now focused on taking the valuable feedback we received during PUBG: NEW STATE’s Second Alpha Test and polishing the game before its official launch later this year. We are devoting all our resources to ensuring PUBG: NEW STATE meets the expectations of our fans, both in terms of entertainment and stability.”

PUBG Creator quits Krafton to launch his own gaming studio

Sean — Fri, 03 Sep 2021 11:48:50 +0000

Brendan Greene, the creator of the massively popular PUBG franchise, has announced that he is leaving Krafton Inc. He now plans to launch his own game development studio that will be called Playerunknown Productions.

For those unaware, Playerunknown was Greene’s nickname in the gaming community and is the reason as to why the battle royale game is dubbed PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds. Now, he plans to take this name forward with his own studio in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Notably, Krafton will hold a minority stake in this new venture. The new ‘PLAYERUNKNOWN Production’ will develop games around massively multiplayer open world games that have a large scale, which isn’t surprising due to his expertise in the battle royale genre.

Brendan said in a statement that “I’m so very grateful to everyone at PUBG and KRAFTON for taking a chance on me and for the opportunities they afforded me over the past four years. Today, I’m excited to take the next step on my journey to create the kind of experience I’ve envisioned for years. Again, I’m thankful for everyone at KRAFTON for supporting my plans, and I’ll have more to reveal about our project at a later date.”

PUBG: New State officially confirmed for India, Pre-Registrations now live

Sean — Wed, 01 Sep 2021 10:55:20 +0000

Earlier today (1st September 2021), Krafton Inc officially announced the arrival of PUBG: New State in India. The studio has started the pre-registration of the mobile game in the region that has already been available in various other countries across the globe.

Krafton unveiled the game for India on the official PUBG: New State website. For those interested, you can register for the game on Google Play Store and the Apple App Store. The inclusion of iOS support right from the start is a welcomed change over BGMI (Battlegrounds Mobile India) which had first launched only in Android, with support for Apple devices arriving a few after the initial release.

For those unaware, New State is a different title from the company’s massively popular vanilla PUBG Mobile game. This version of the game arrives with new maps, which have a more urban setting over its classic battle royale variant that seen great success. One of the new maps include Troi that comes with a number of new weapons and vehicles that are different from the known cars and bikes you’ve seen in PUBG Mobile.

Furthermore, another notable inclusion is the new weapon customization feature that allows players to modify their weapons inside a match with various attachments. With New State, Krafton is bringing back its franchise in India, after PUBG Mobile got banned in the country back in September 2020. While the company has already launched an exclusive Indian version of the game (BGMI), the new game will carry the official ‘PUBG’ moniker.

Battlegrounds Mobile India – BGMI may launch on August 20 for iOS devices

Pranav Sawant — Wed, 11 Aug 2021 19:07:10 +0000

Krafton recently confirmed via social media that Battlegrounds Mobile India a.k.a BGMI will be launching soon for iOS devices. Even though the arrival is confirmed, the company didn’t reveal any exact timeslot of its availability. Now, according to a report, the battle royale game will debut in the mid of August this year.

As per a report from InsideSport, Krafton will be hosting a streamer battle soon for iOS devices. The battle will bring some rewards for the gamers and it will be exclusive to Apple iPhones. It is tipped that the streamer’s battle will occur after the game is launched. The publication allegedly hints at an August 20 launch on the Apple App Store.

Once the game reaches the iOS userbase, it is expected to grow its market yet again in India. As of now, the game has received over 48 million downloads on Playstore. We expect similar download figures for the App store after it’s officially available on iOS.

In related news, an Indian Judge named Naresh Kumar Laka took it to Prime Minister Narendra Modi while urging him to ban BGMI and Free Fire in India. According to him, these games are having a negative impact on children and need to get banned as soon as possible.

PUBG is free-to-play for a week; officially changes name to PUBG: Battlegrounds

Jeet — Tue, 10 Aug 2021 23:33:12 +0000

The popular Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds, widely known as PUBG, is going free-to-play for a week. Not just that, the game is also receiving a name change. While the reason behind this has not been revealed by the company, it is being speculated the company is doing this to gauge player interest for turning this into a completely free-to-play game.

The free-to-play week has now been commenced, starting on August 10, and is going to run until August 16. This also coincides with Kpop mega-group Blackpink’s crossover content launching in the game, with decals on the airship and buildings.

Krafton, the studio that makes the PUBG game is even giving players some rewards for trying the game out during this promotion. As for the name change, Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds will be known as “PUBG: Battlegrounds” going forward, which means the full name of the game is now officially Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds: Battlegrounds.

During this free-play week, rewards can be collected normally and the company has confirmed that mission progress and gameplay statistics will be recorded and put toward achievement progress if players wind up buying the full game.

It’s noteworthy that the promotion is only available on Steam, which means console players will not have access to it. Last month, PUBG got bigger with the launch of a new Taego map which is around 18km by 18km. This is the biggest map in the game for a fair few years, and giving players a vast new area to explore.

PUBG might be going Free to play soon: Rumor

Sean — Tue, 27 Jul 2021 07:14:15 +0000

A new rumor has suggested that PUBG or PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds might be going free to play in the near future. The title is one of the most popular battle royale game in the PC gaming market and is apparently seeking to be accessible to everyone soon.

Leak:
PUBG wants to go free-to-play.

They’re going to track player responses in a F2P week that’s happening next month.

Keep in mind, PUBG originally wanted to go F2P in 2019; but didn’t get the player response they wanted att from 2019’s F2P test.

— PlayerIGN (@PlayerIGN) July 24, 2021

The news arrives from a tweet from PlayerIGN, who stated that the game will become free to play in the future. As per the dataminer, the decision to go free to play, however, will be largely based on the reception of its current playerbase. In other words, the studio behind PUBG will track the player’s response in a free to play week that is reportedly set to arrive sometime next month. So, the game could go free depending on whether there is an influx of new players and that the existing players react positively to the change.

Notably, PlayerIGN also added that PUBG had aimed on becoming free to play back in 2019. Although, the studio did not receive the player response that they had wanted back during the free to play test run in 2019, so this decision was scrapped. Keep in mind that this is still an unconfirmed report so take it with a pinch of salt and stay tuned for more updates. Also, let us know in the comments section down below what you feel about the game possibly going free to play.

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Battlegrounds Mobile India pre-registrations crosses 20 million in just 2 weeks

Sean — Thu, 03 Jun 2021 10:29:36 +0000

Just recently, Krafton Inc, the company behind the massively popular battle royale title PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG), announced that it would relaunching its mobile port of the game under a new name, Battlegrounds Mobile India. The game has yet to launch in the region, but its pre-registrations have already crossed 20 million within just two weeks.

Just last month, Battlegrounds Mobile India opened up for pre-registerations back on 18th May 2021. On the very first day, the game saw over 7.6 million registrations, as per the company’s official notes. Krafton had announced the title last month and is aiming to offer a “AAA multiplayer gaming experience on mobile” within the battle royale genre, which is what the company is known for.

Now, the studio’s CEO added that “We would like to express our sincere gratitude to our Indian fans for their overwhelming response to the Battlegrounds IP first developed by me and my team in 2017. The Battlegrounds IP received love and acclaim from players worldwide, and Krafton will continue to build on the IP. That effort includes bringing amazing content to Battlegrounds Mobile India and providing an incomparable battle royale experience to our players.”

For those unaware, PUBG Mobile had been banned by the Indian government along with other Chinese apps due to the growing friction between the Indian and Chinese governments. PUBG Mobile had been a mobile port made by Tencent Games, a Chinese firm. But now, the parent company of the IP, Krafton, is bringing the game back to the region by launching it under its own banner while also promising data security and user privacy as an important factor for the relaunch.

PUBG maker announces Battlegrounds Mobile India, pre-registerations to start soon

Sean — Thu, 06 May 2021 08:35:16 +0000

PUBG Mobile is apparently launching in India soon under a new name. The news arrives after the company behind the popular mobile game officially announced Battlegrounds Mobile India.

According to an official announcement from Krafton, the company behind the PUBG franchise, the new title will be an exclusive video game for the Indian subcontinent. The announcement arrived earlier this week and officially marks the re-entry of the popular mobile game in India. For those unaware, PUBG Mobile was banned from India as growing tensions between India and China had caused the former to ban certain Chinese apps, including the battle royale title as it was ported from PC to mobile by Tencent Games.

Now, Krafton is working on releasing the title under a new brand exclusively in India and offer its own esports ecosystem with various tournaments and leagues as well. Similar to the past entry, the new game will also be free to play on smartphones. Furthermore, the game will also have a pre registeration period prior to its launch, although, it is currently unknown when that actually is since the company did not announce any official dates. Interestingly, the company even changes the PUBG Mobile India’s YouTube channel’s name to Battlegrounds Mobile India.

Krafton also added that privacy and data security will be one of the top priorities of the brand moving forward in India, and that it would work with its partners to ensure data protection and security at each stage. The new logo of the game is quite similar to the older one’s but carries a distinct color scheme of saffron whit and green, which are also found in the country’s flag. So stay tuned for more updates.

Video teaser for PUBG Mobile India release briefly appears on YouTube

Jed John Ikoba — Sat, 01 May 2021 02:57:10 +0000

Tencent’s PUBG Mobile was having a seamless ride in India as of early last year with the gaming emerging as the most popular title in its category then the government struck. The game was caught up in the simmering conflict between the Indian and Chinese governments as it was among the apps banned by New Delhi. Thus, Tencent’s franchise to publish the game in India was revoked by PUBG Corporation. Since then, there have been plans to relaunch the game in India but that has not materialized. Well, looks like the launch is about to happen.

A six-second video teaser was briefly shared on YouTube today after which it was taken down. The teaser, which projects the game as “coming soon”, is an indication that the launch is imminent.

PUBG Studio first announced in November that it would relaunch the game in India. Since then, fans have been anticipating the relaunch but nothing happened until now. A dedicated website even went live and teaser videos were released in that regard.

The India-centric PUBG Mobile will feature content targeted at the domestic market. The games will be set in a virtual simulation training ground. The new characters will also automatically come with clothes on. PUBG will also include green hit effects that’ll reflect the virtual nature of the game. Finally, there will be a feature to restrict the game time in order to promote healthy gaming habits among younger players.

India has before now been hit with several incidences including deaths related to addiction to PUBG Mobile. Last year, a 16-year-old Indian boy died after he played PUBG Mobile continuously for several days. A 25-year-old Pune man also died due to prolong PUBG Mobile gameplay.

RELATED;

(via)

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PUBG Mobile developer reportedly working on a new Sci-Fi game codenamed Vertical

Sean — Mon, 12 Apr 2021 08:36:21 +0000

The people behind PUBG Mobile might be working on another new title. Recently, the developers and creators, Krafton, had announced PUBG: New State, and now, a leak suggests that another project could be in the works as well.

According to a TechRadar report, the new project is reportedly working on a sci fi shooter game, although, unlike New State, the IP is not a part of the battle royale genre. At the moment, the game is still under development and it will apparently take at least up to two to even three more years to be completed. The tipster, PlayerIGN, shared screenshots on his Twitter account that revealed key job openings created within the company to work on the project, which is in its nascent stages.

PlayerIGN believes that the game could possibly be the sequel to PlayerUnknown Battlegrounds, and would simply be PUBG 2. However, unlike the original massively popular battle royale title, its sequel might not be a battle royale title in the franchise. Furthermore, the tipster also leaked some interesting details regarding the game as well. This includes its game engine, which is reportedly the Unreal Engine 4.

1/2
PUBG's working on an open-world sci-fi shooter game. The project's codenamed: Vertical.

It's built on UE4, a pre-built engine, as such I can imagine them looking to release this game after 2-3 years.

Is this the PUBG2 game that was mentioned? If so, guess it's not a BR. pic.twitter.com/XugVZ0203q

— PlayerIGN (@PlayerIGN) April 10, 2021

Currently, the company has opened up 14 new job listings for developer positions in the game. This includes Background Concept Artist, Video Editing Artist, Character Concept Artist, Lighting Artist, etc. Similarly, there are also openings in the development and technical teams as well. The upcoming title might just be a single player focused or campaign centric launch within the battlegrounds series, but that is just speculation, so take it with a pinch of salt and stay tuned for more updates.

PUBG Mobile records 1 billion downloads since its launch in 2018

Sean — Thu, 25 Mar 2021 07:19:30 +0000

Earlier today (25th March 2021), Tencent announced that its popular shooter game PUBG Mobile crossed the 1 billion downloads mark, with the numbers being accumulated from when it first launched, back in 2018.

According to a Reuters report, this figure is for all the downloads outside of China. In other words, the Chinese publisher has seen great success across the globe by porting the mobile variant of the popular battle royale game, which has various players fight to be the last man standing. As per the company’s latest record, it is only behind two other mobile game titles, including Kiloo Games’ Subway Surfers and King Digital Entertainment’s Candy Crush Saga.

Analyst Daniel Ahmad stated that “PUBG Mobile achieving 1 billion downloads shows that core games, in this case a AAA Battle Royale title based on the PC IP of the same name, can achieve the same scale in the mobile space.” In China, Tencent also has another battle royale genre based mobile game called Peacekeeper Elite. Furthermore, it also has another hit title called Honor of Kings, which is based on the MOBA genre as well, which has been quite successful in China and in the overseas market as well.

Tencent had also added that it seeks to generate half of all its game revenue from the foreign market. Thus, it has opened up shops in Los Angeles in the US, for its LightSpeed and Quantum Studios and Timi Studios. These sites will aims on “creating content with original intellectual property that has global appeal.”

PUBG unveils the PUBG: New State, a battle royale game set in the future

Jed John Ikoba — Thu, 25 Feb 2021 23:49:24 +0000

Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) is a very popular online multiplayer and very enthralling battle royale game developed and published by PUBG Corporation. The mobile version is actually produced by Tencent has been an extremely popular and revenue spinning game.

Now, another premium offering has been added by PUBG to the gaming public. It is a new, futuristic mobile game that would be compatible with both Android and iOS systems, and projected to receive wide acclaim.

The new battle royale game is named PUBG: New State and provides a futuristic engagement that takes place in the year 2051. PUBG: New State is set on the map Troi which is different from the previous map and guarantees an array of future weapons and machinery to continue to catch the fancy of fans of the multiplayer online game.

Players of the game would be in for a high-octane viewing and playing experience, there is an array of twists and turns in the narrative that would help us experience the whole gamut of features on offer.

PUBG: New State will be available on Android and iOS later in 2021, with alpha tests already slated for this year.

The opportunity for the game to be available on both Android and iOS will further expand massively the followership of the game. It is expected that PUBG would have put in place everything to make sure the game comes on stream.

Some of the visuals released in relation to the PUBG: New State show that it is a very impressive addition to take online multiplayer games several notches above the average.

We hope that the hype surrounding the game is not misplaced and the game will be a huge hit.

RELATED;

(via)

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Indian Ministry(MeitY) says it hasn’t granted any permission to launch PUBG

Balaji S — Thu, 17 Dec 2020 13:25:00 +0000

PUBG Corporation has already announced that the PUBG MOBILE INDIA version will land in the country. However, despite launching several teasers on its website, there are no signs of the game launching on the official app stores yet. And it looks like things might be a bit more complicated according to a recent RTI response.

As Gadgets360 reports, a publication named MediaNama has filed an RTI regarding the launch of PUBG in India. For the unknown, RTI is the Indian Govt.’s Right To Information Act. It allows citizens of the country to request information from any public authority about its work and other actions. Anyway, to the RTI, MeitY has responded that it does not grant permission for starting any websites/mobile Apps/services.

The publication had sought clarifications regarding Krafton/PUBG Corp., permissions on the re-launch of the Game. Accordingly, MeitY(Ministry of Electronics & IT), Govt of India, reportedly says that it hasn’t granted permission to PUBG/PUBG Mobile India. This suggests that PUBG Mobile hasn’t sorted out the hiccups that lie before it yet.

If we recall, the Indian Govt. banned 118 apps including “PUBG MOBILE Nordic Map: Livik” Game in India back in September. However, PUBG Corp.,’s Parent company KRAFTON Inc., has tried its best to circumvent the hurdles. It initially bagged PUBG’s Indian publishing rights from Tencent.

Later, it partnered with Microsoft‘s Azure Cloud Platform to host the game on PC/Console/Mobile. These are the key points that aim to address the data threat, privacy and security concerns of the Govt. A recent report also reveals that the company is probably planning to migrate the Indian players’ data locally and retain their IDs. However, it looks like PUBG Corp., is yet to satisfy the Indian Govt to get a nod.

Coming back, MeitY has also replied to another RTI simply stating that it hasn’t granted any permission to launch PUBG(as of December 11). This suggests that the Game might take a while to appear on Google Play Store and Apple’s App Store.

Previously, at the announcement, PUBG Corp., said that ‘PUBG Mobile India’ will be tailor-made for the country with local in-game contents. Plus, it promised to invest $100 million(₹746 crores) locally, set up a local office, hire 100 employees, collaborate with local businesses, and more.

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FAU-G Pre-registrations begin on Google Play Store in India; UI & Gameplay teased

Balaji S — Mon, 30 Nov 2020 14:46:56 +0000

A made in India Game, FAU-G, has finally landed on Google’s Play Store. The developer Studio nCore Pvt. Ltd., has listed it for pre-registration under the ‘Action’ category of the Games. The listing also teases the UI, and the Gameplay we can expect.

Credit: nCORE Games/Google

FAU-G pre-registrations on Google PlayStore is a mere push notification and doesn’t show any launch date. However, reports say that the launch could happen anytime now. The developer nCORE Games, on Twitter, shared the pre-registration link for Android meaning iOS users need to wait for a bit. Accordingly, on clicking the ‘pre-registration’ link, a pop-up appears with two options: Install when available, and Notify when available.

If you click the Install When available option, as usual, the Play Store says it will automatically install the game when it releases. Talking about the game, few teaser images show a slightly different UI to PUBG and suggests that the game will ride high on Indo-Chinese conflict a lot. Consequently, the description says an elite fighting group protects India’s territory at the Northern border.

On the auspicious occasion of Gurupurab, we are starting the pre-registrations of FAU-G: Fearless And United Guards.

Pre-register and be the first to play the game. #FAUG #BeFearless

Pre-registration link: https://t.co/4TXd1F7g7J @VishalGondal @akshaykumar #happygurupurab

— nCORE Games (@nCore_games) November 30, 2020

Further, it adds that a special unit of FAU-G Commandos patrolling in dangerous borders come face-face with enemies on the Indian soil. This suggests that the Game will mostly be a ‘brawler’ type rather than Battle Royale. For the unware, brawler is a type of ‘Action Game’ where the characters fight a large number of enemies in unarmed combat or with melee weapons.

Additionally, the description says it will focus on the patriotic angle of the Indian soldiers that guard borders. As per the listing, FAU-G(Fearless And United Guards) is an Indian project that pays tributes to the country’s armed forces. All this, along with the earlier teaser strongly sends the notion that the game will focus more on conflicts like the Galwan Valley skirmish.

In case you don’t know, India banned 59 Chinese applications including TikTok, UC Browser back in June. While the govt. said the threat to privacy and security as a reason, it is believed that Gulwan valley border conflict with China was the reason. Then, it later went on to ban 118 more apps including PUBG back in September.

Days after this ban, the country’s popular actor like Akshay Kumar started promoting FAU-G as a Made in India game. Anyway, Contrary to beliefs, FAU-G will likely focus more on melee operations with patriotic sentiments and not Battle Royale. However, developers have reportedly hinted that Battle Royale might be added in the future.

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PUBG MOBILE Indian version could allow users to retain old skins, in-app purchases & more

Balaji S — Mon, 16 Nov 2020 17:25:08 +0000

PUBG Mobile India is the talk of the town lately. Ever since PUBG Corporation officially announced the comeback, expectations are rife regarding the game in India. After a round of teasers, the latest report says that PUBG users can most likely migrate the data from the global version.

A post on Instagram by Liquipediamemphiz(via Sportskeeda) says that users will likely be able to migrate their skins, in-app purchases to the Indian version. This is great news for the users who have spent a bucket load of money on the earlier version. If we recall, PUBG Corp.,‘s parent company KRAFTON Inc., recently partnered with Microsoft’s Azure Cloud Platform to host the game on PC/Console/Mobile.

Hence, it wouldn’t be a surprise if it migrates the data of Indian users to local servers. Besides, do note that as per official news, the new “PUBG MOBILE India” will have characters clothed up by default. Hence, don’t expect the old half-exposed characters to return to the game.

Anyway, the post has shared a video. Accordingly, on searching a user named “user41264” using Advanced search In-game, the profile link inside displays a message. It says, “The Player you are viewing has migrated to PUBG MOBILE India”.

PUBG MOBILE India – What to expect?

That said, Liquipediamemphiz in one of his stories says that the user in the video could have early access to the game(beta). And hence, he was able to capture the video. While there isn’t an official confirmation regarding the migration of in-app perks, we feel that PUBG Corp. might bring this to attract the audience and further gain loyalty.

Precisely, reports say that the Indian version will carry forward the rewards, achievements, frames, Pubg Mobile India UCs(unknown cash), tier resets, skins, and more. However, the return of IDs that got banned “for 10 years” before is unlikely. Anyway, the PUBG Mobile Indian version will be specifically designed for India.

It will have features like Virtual Simulation Training Ground, Green hit effects, play-time restrictions. KRAFTON Inc. has also announced that it will hire 100 employees, invest $100 million(~₹746 crores) locally and encourage e-sports, local business, and the IT industry.

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PUBG Mobile is coming back to India with $100 million investment, in-game content, & more

Balaji S — Thu, 12 Nov 2020 12:48:36 +0000

As expected, PUBG Mobile is coming back to India. The announcement today is good news for all PUBG lovers in the country. The game is also bringing an investment of $100 million along with it to India.

PUBG Corporation, who recently acquired the Indian publishing rights from Tencent, has made the announcement(via XDADevelopers). As per the report, PUBG Mobile in India will now be called ‘PUBG MOBILE INDIA’. The company says it’s ‘specifically for the Indian market’. Accordingly, the developers say that the game will have in-game contents that “reflect local needs”.

Pubg Mobile India: Local Investment, in-game Features & more

For instance, we can expect a “Virtual Simulation Training Ground” setting, “Clothing” for Characters in-game, “Green hit” effects instead of Red while killing someone. Additionally, the game will also have “restrictions of playtime” for the young chaps. We have already come across many instances of death due to PUBG addiction in India. Hence, a restriction or cap on log-in time might help parents recover children from addiction.

Further, the game will also ensure data security by performing regular audits and verification on the storage systems. By following this, the company says it will keep the data secure. That’s not all as the PUBG Corporation, and its parent company KRAFTON Inc., are planning to invest $100 million(₹746 crores) in the country.

By doing this, the company aims to encourage the local video game, e-sports, entertainment, and IT industries. Additionally, it will set up a local office, hire 100 employees in India to improve its services. And also collaborate with local businesses.

If we recall, PUBG Mobile including 118 apps was banned in India back in September. This was in addition to an earlier ban of 59 apps including TikTok, WeChat, UC browser. The govt said the threat to data privacy and security as a reason but it was believed to be a reaction against border disputes with China.

Later, PUBG Corporation, which is the creation or PUBG, took over the Indian publishing rights from Tencent Games. While the game was rumored to come via Jio as distributor, PUBG Corp., has itself come forward to relaunch it confirming the earlier LinkedIn job listing. Having said that, there isn’t a firm launch date but considering the game has already stopped working, we can expect it soon enough.

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Among Us Rip-off version, Werewolf Among Us game tops the chart on App Store in China

Balaji S — Wed, 04 Nov 2020 15:04:09 +0000

A clone of the popular US game Among Us is the talk of the town in China. Known as Werewolf Among Us, it is currently topping the download charts on App Store in the country. The game has even managed to surpass giants like Peacekeeper Elite and Honour of Kings.

As per an SCMP report, the game is at the top of the Free Game download charts on Apple’s App Store. Albeit being developed by a recondite developer, it sits on the top with 116,000 downloads as of November 2. Further, App Tracking firm Qimai’s Data says the Clone has more than 478,000 total downloads so far.

That said, Tencent Holdings’ giants like Peacekeeper Elite(China’s PUBG). And Honour of Kings trail the charts with 111,000, and 112,000 downloads respectively behind Werewolf Among Us.

How did it get Popular?

However, this is not the only clone App of the American Video Game. IP(Intellectual Property) doesn’t generally protect Game Mechanics. Hence, popular games usually see a lot of rip-offs bombarding the market.

Having said that the most popular of them all, Werewolf Among us is developed by a small developer, Shenzhen Youliang Technology. And launched on October 28. Initially, it was thought of as just another version of another in-party game Werewolf that’s already popular in China. However, it has gained steam recently thanks to its OG version’s popularity that has a better-dedicated user acquisition budget.

Still, the number crunches of downloads are crazy considering it’s just been a week since launch. Anyway, the rip-off version has cloned the Map, Game Mechanics of the OG Among Us. The only difference is reportedly the setting of the game in a Medival Castle instead of Space.

Among Us by InnerSloth

For the unware, the OG Among Us is developed by American Game Studio InnerSloth. It is a free-to-play Mobile/PC game allowing players to pit against each other. Players act as “crewmates” or “imposters” on a Spaceship and try to remove the opponent(imposter->crewmates and Viceversa) while performing other tasks.

It launched way back in 2018 but has become popular only recently. As per the company, the OG version currently has over 100 million downloads worldwide. And 60 million active users as of September.

Coming back, Qimai says the OG “Among Us” is the 10th most downloaded game in China with 885,000 downloads in the last three months. However, it doesn’t support the Chinese language, and that’s where Clones like Werewolf Among us reportedly comes into play.

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PUBG Corp to take over PUBG Mobile from Tencent in India after Ban

Sean — Tue, 08 Sep 2020 10:15:31 +0000

PUBG Corporation, the ones behind the original successful battle royale PC title, has decided to no longer authorize Tencent from running the PUBG Mobile franchise in India.

According to an official statement earlier this week, the company will be taking over all of its publishing within the country. The move arrives just shortly after the local government banned the massively popular mobile game title due to alleged national security risks due to Tencent Games’ ties with the Chinese government. The country had previously banned 60 apps earlier this year and has recently also banned an additional 118 Chinese applications as well.

Notably, last week, Tencent said that it would be working with Indian authorities to ensure the continued availability of the application in India. In other words, comply with any issue to make sure that it is still available for its broad number of users. However, PUBG Corporation, the developer of the title, has now decided to take the rein in the mobile title themselves in the region.

In the statement on their website, the company said that “Moving forward, PUBG Corporation will take on all publishing responsibilities within the country, As the company explores ways to provide its own PUBG experience for India in the near future, it is committed to doing so by sustaining a localized and healthy gameplay environment for its fans.” At the moment, PUBG Mobile is one of the most promising fields of esports in the country and is also a source of livelihood for many streamers. Thus, the news might come as a great relief for many players as well if the government decides to roll back its decision. So stay tuned for more updates.

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Tencent is working to ensure continued availability of its apps in India

Jeet — Fri, 04 Sep 2020 06:24:58 +0000

The Indian government had banned 59 Chinese applications in the country in June this year and then added 48 more apps to the list. Just a couple of days ago, India banned 118 more apps, including the popular PUBG Mobile game.

Although the reason behind banning Chinese apps in the market seems to be political, the Indian government is citing privacy and security as the reason behind banning China-origin applications in the country.

Now, to ensure continued availability of its applications, Tencent Holdings said that it would engage with the Indian authorities, reports Reuters. It has also added that the company takes the protection of user privacy and data seriously.

For those who are unaware, Tencent is the parent company behind the widely popular PUBG and PUBG Mobile game. Not only in India, but PUBG is also one of the most popular Battle Royale games around the globe.

EDITOR’S PICK: TCL announces NXTPAPER display technology for paper-like color display at IFA 2020 in Berlin

The game is available for mobile phones, Xbox console as well as for Windows PC. It is extremely popular in India, especially among the youths with India ranking as having the highest number of downloads globally.

So, it makes sense for Tencent to take some action to ensure that it doesn’t lose access to one of the most important markets. The ban on apps seems to only cover new downloads and apparently works fine if they are already installed on a smartphone.

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India bans 118 more Chinese mobile apps including PUBG Mobile!

Jed John Ikoba — Wed, 02 Sep 2020 12:44:21 +0000

The Indian government has finally gone ahead with plans to ban more Chinese mobile apps. The apps include popular ones such as PUBG Mobile, CamCard, Baidu, Cut Cut, VooV, Tencent Weiyun, Rise of Kingdoms, Zakzak and others.

Recall that the Indian government banned 59 Chinese apps earlier this year including some of the most popular apps such as TikTok, ShareIt, UC Browser, WeChat, CamScanner, and more. The ban was hinged on security and privacy concerns but there is no doubt it is linked to the deteriorating diplomatic row triggered by border dispute in the Ladakh/Aksai Chin region.

Among the banned apps, the ban of PUBG Mobile will definitely hit the hardest. PUBG or PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is one of the most popular Battle Royale games around the globe. The game is available for mobile phones, Xbox console as well as for Windows PC. It is extremely popular in India especially among the youths with India ranking as having the highest number of downloads globally.

1 of 5

The game, just like any other game can be addictive if caution isn’t exercised with cases of addiction common among teenage players. There have been a couple of reported deaths as a result of addiction to the game. However, the government’s ban isn’t tied to the rising cases of addiction but for the security of the state and the defense of the country.

It remains to be seen how this ban will be received in India but apparently, the ban only covers new downloads. If you already have the app installed n your smartphone. It may likely still work fine. Do confirm in the comments section if you have the app installed and can still play the game.

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Indian boy, 16, dies after playing PUBG continuously for several days

Jed John Ikoba — Sun, 16 Aug 2020 15:31:04 +0000

There has been a rise in cases of gaming addiction especially among teenager and that is a cause for concern. In India, a 16-year-old boy has reportedly lost his life after continuously playing PUBG for several days, skipping meals and did not even drink water.

The report carried by IndiaTV stated that the boy who resides in Andhra Pradesh developed severe dehydration due to the fact that he wasn’t taking food and water. When the family got to know after he fell sick, he was rushed to a private hospital in the city of Eluru. The boy further developed severe diarrhoea and had to undergo a surgical operation. Unfortunately, he didn’t make it through the surgery.

PUBG or PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is one of the most popular Battle Royale games around the globe. The game is available for mobile phones, Xbox console as well as for Windows PC. The game, just like any other game can be addictive if caution isn’t exercised. The addiction is common among teenage players.

A case of PUBG related addiction death was recorded in India in January this year. The deceased was a 25-year-old man named Harshal Memane who died after suffering a brain stroke due to prolonged PUBG mobile gameplay. The Pune based man complained about not being able to move his right arm and leg while playing the game. It was diagnosed at a nearby hospital where he was rushed to that he suffered from intracerebral haemorrhage. Sadly, he didn’t recover from it and died moments later.

In China, gaming addiction and its attendant health challenges have made the government institute several restrictions, especially for online gaming. Measures such as facial recognition, real name verification to detect underage gamers and game time restrictions have been put in place. That may happen in India soon if such an alarming trend continues.

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OnePlus and PUBG brings 90 FPS gameplay exclusively to OnePlus phones

Habeeb Onawole — Thu, 06 Aug 2020 15:39:36 +0000

Back in May, OnePlus and Epic Games announced that users will be OnePlus 8 users will be able to play Fortnite at 90 FPS, a first for any smartphone. Today, OnePlus has announced that 90 FPS on the popular game, PUBG, will be available exclusively on its devices.

A press release sent to us says the feature will be available to owners of the OnePlus 7 Pro, OnePlus 7T series, and OnePlus 8 series which all have a refresh rate of 90Hz and up. They will be able to experience PUBG exclusively at this new rate starting today, August 6, until September 6. Surprisingly, the OnePlus Nord which also has a 90Hz refresh rate is missing from the list.

OnePlus says the exclusive experience is available to users across the globe excluding those in Mainland China, Japan, and Korea.

Playing at 90 FPS is said to be evident while panning, using a scope, running, and searching for other players at a distance. this means you should get an edge over other gamers playing at a lower frame rate.

Do you use any of the aforementioned phones? Do you play PUBG? Let us know what the new experience feels like.

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India could ban more Chinese apps, including PUBG Mobile and AliExpress

Jeet — Wed, 29 Jul 2020 05:12:14 +0000

The Indian government banned 59 Chinese applications earlier this year which includes some of the most popular apps such as TikTok, ShareIt, UC Browser, WeChat, CamScanner, and more. Recently, India banned 47 more apps, which mostly include the ‘Lite’ versions or clones of the apps banned earlier.

Now, it is being reported that the government has prepared a list of 275 Chinese apps which are being studied for potential privacy and security issues. The list includes some of the biggest names, including PUBG Mobile and Alibaba‘s AliExpress.

The report adds that more applications from ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok are under scrutiny, including Resso music streaming and ULike. Further, 14 applications from Xiaomi or Mi are also being tested for the said violations.

The ban on PUBG Mobile could be a serious blow to PUBG Corporation, backed by Tencent. With more than 175 million installs, India is the largest market for the game, accounting for around 24 percent of the total downloads.

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However, do note that the Indian government could ban all of these apps, some of these apps, or none of them. There’s no certainty about this and there’s no timeline about when this could happen. It is also being reported that the Indian government is developing a formal process for such bans, including a law or regulation that would require constant monitoring of apps.

When India banned the 59 apps earlier this year, Ji Rong, spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in India, has said in a statement that China firmly opposed the decision and claimed that it’s a “violation of World Trade Organisation rules.”

The decision of banning Chinese applications is a result of rising tensions related to border disputes between India and China. Along with banning apps, India has also restricted neighboring countries from bidding on public contracts, exclusive Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Nepal which means that it is clearly targeting China.

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PUBG Mobile was the highest grossing ($226 million) mobile game in May 2020

Sudarshan Ravichandran — Mon, 15 Jun 2020 08:55:41 +0000

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic-led lockdowns have affected various businesses. But some like the gaming industry profited by a high margin compared to last year. As people around the world are stuck at home, they either turn towards streaming or gaming, especially mobile gaming to kill time. This has helped PUBG Mobile to become the highest-grossing mobile game in May with more than $226 million in user spending.

PUBG Mobile aka Peacekeeper Elite (China) by Tencent is currently one of the popular mobile titles ever since its release in 2018. It is a free-to-play battle royale game with in-app purchases.

According to the latest report by Sensor Tower, PUBG Mobile’s revenue exceeded $226 million in May, making it the highest-grossing mobile game of the month. The revenue generated was 41% YoY increase.

Also, it is interesting to see that most in-app purchases came from China (53%), USA (10.2%), Saudi Arabia (5.5%), and not much from India where the game is immensely popular.

The second highest-grossing mobile title in the same period was Honor of Kings, another game by Tencent. It earned $204.5 million for the company, a 42% YoY growth. Most of its revenue came from China (95%), followed by Thailand (2.2%) where it is known as Garena Realm of Valor.

Niantic’s Pokémon GO also recorded its highest revenue of $82.2 million since September 2019. The developer recently added new content in the game to encourage playing at home.

(Via)

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PUBG Archives - Gizmochina

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