Fortnite rival PUBG cuts ties with China’s Tencent in India
The owner of Playerunknown Battlegrounds, also known as PUBG, is to sever a publishing deal with Chinese giant Tencent for its game in India, in an effort to get around the government’s ban of its app in the country.
South Korean firm PUBG Corporation said today it will no longer give Tencent Games the rights to publish its popular mobile game in India.
PUBG is an online multiplayer game using a so-called battle royale format, popularised by rival Fortnite.
The announcement follows after India banned the game along with 117 other Chinese apps last week, as tensions between the two countries mount over border tensions in the Himalayas.
Other apps currently banned in India include short-form video app Tiktok, which is in negotiations with the Indian government about a return to local app stores.
“Moving forward, PUBG Corporation will take on all publishing responsibilities within the country,” the company said, as it explores ways to bring the game back to Indian users.
India was PUBG’s biggest market, with more than 175m downloads and representing approximately a quarter of its global user base, according to data from Sensortower.
Tencent did not immediately respond to a request for comment.