Will PUBG New State Come to India? Here's What We Know So Far

Abhimannu Das
Published On: 22 May 2021, 08:23 AM

PUBG: New State was announced earlier this year but India has been excluded from the list of eligible countries.
It is unknown if KRAFTON will introduce the game to India considering PUBG Mobile is back as Battlegrounds Mobile India.
There is no official confirmation from Krafton. However, the studio has not ruled out New State coming to the country.

Krafton announced PUBG New State back in February, which is a futuristic take on PUBG Mobile. The game is developed by Krafton and PUBG Studio unlike PUBG Mobile, which was developed by Tencent. However, despite not having any ties to Tencent, PUBG New State is not available for pre-registration in India for the time being. Players from India, Vietnam, and China have not been included in the list of eligible countries for the pre-registration which has left fans wondering if PUBG New State will come to India. Following the pre-registrations opening up, Battlegrounds Mobile India was announced in India.

The Reason Behind The Exclusion of PUBG New State in India is Unknown

The Indian government blocked access to PUBG Mobile and PUBG Mobile Lite along with 116 other apps on September 2, 2020. The apps were deemed to be prejudicial to the sovereignty and integrity of India. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology stated that it had ‘received many complaints from various sources including several reports of misuse of some mobile apps. The apps have been banned for allegedly ‘stealing and surreptitiously transmitting users’ data in an unauthorized manner to servers which have locations outside India’.

Since its ban, Krafton had been working to reinstate the game in India. When PUBG New State was announced by the studio, PUBG Mobile was still banned at the time (February 2021). However, things changed with Krafton reintroducing PUBG Mobile’s India-exclusive version ‘Battlegrounds Mobile India.’ Pre-registrations for the game went live but India, Vietnam, and China were excluded. While the reasons behind the exclusion are unknown, it does not rule out the possibility of PUBG New State releasing in India for the time being.

If Battlegrounds Mobile India's release and reception go smoothly, KRAFTON may consider introducing PUBG: New State in the country in the future. But we wouldn't get our hopes up. Battlegrounds Mobile India is an India-exclusive title that is set to have its own esports ecosystem and it will also have exclusive features like spending limitations, the removal of blood and gore, the game being set in a virtual simulation ground instead of battlefields, and more. It is unknown if PUBG: New State meets and follows the same requirements and privacy regulations that Battlegrounds Mobile India is allegedly adhering to.

Will PUBG: New State Come to India?

With no official announcement from Krafton about PUBG: New State’s release in India, fans should not get their hopes up unless there is official confirmation from the studio at a later date. As it stands, pre-registrations are available only for Battlegrounds Mobile India, with no word on the release of PUBG: New State’s release in India.

Abhimannu Das

Abhimannu is a PC esports writer at AFK Gaming. With over seven years of experience in esports journalism, he has worked on a myriad of games and their ecosystems including Valorant, Overwatch and Apex Legends.

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