Krafton Representative on PUBG Mobile India Release Date

PUBG Mobile India's launch was still in the works in January 2021, according to a report from South Korean news outlet, E Today. In the report published on Jan 25, 2021, a Krafton representative is quoted as stating that the company was "continuing to communicate and work with the Indian government." This is despite PUBG: New State reportedly being in development since 2020. So this statement might indicate that PUBG Mobile India and PUBG: New State are both in the process of trying to get permission from the Indian government to launch within the country.

The popular battle royale game is yet to receive permission from the Indian government to relaunch the game in the country, despite various measures taken by the game's publisher to distance itself from the Chinese company Tencent. 

Krafton representative's statement about PUBG Mobile India in January 2021

Gemwire.gg spotted a remark made by a Krafton representative in a report on South Korean news portal E Today. The report, which detailed how the launch of the Indian mobile game FAU-G might impact Krafton, carried a statement from the PUBG developer's representative which read:

"We are continuing to communicate and work with the Indian government to rerelease PUBG Mobile in the Indian market. However, we cannot yet reveal details on the current progress (such as the release date of the game)."

It should be noted that this statement was given out by Krafton on January 25, before the revelation of PUBG: New State. The company's strategy to re-release PUBG Mobile India may have changed since then, especially considering earlier reports that the Indian government had no intentions of unbanning PUBG Mobile because it was developed by the Chinese company Tencent.

In September 2020, PUBG Mobile was banned in India along with over 200 Chinese apps and games. The Indian government deemed them to be "prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order." The game has remained blocked in India ever since.

RELATED:  PUBG: New State Will Not Release in India at Launch

The lack of any developments in PUBG Mobile India release date has seemingly not fazed Krafton. After its ban, it hired Aneesh Aravind as its PUBG Mobile India Country Manager in December 2020. Aravind was previously in charge of Tencent’s India operations including PUBG Mobile. It also hired a new PUBG Mobile operations team during this same time period. 

More recently, in February 2021, the company hired a new Regional head for India and MENA to work on the studio's strategy, investments, and operations. It also announced a partnership with NODWIN Gaming to promote its flagship PUBG PC esports event PUBG Global Invitational.S (PGI.S).