PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG for short) had got all hooked and had become an instant favourite.
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG for short) had got all hooked and had become an instant favourite. Since its early access on March 23 in 2017, people of every age group, at every place, be it home, office or even sports dressing room were seen playing PUBG.
The battle royale genre expanded immensely on the mobile platform and become a fan favourite. However, the game's journey hasn’t been smooth in certain countries.
With coming under authorities’ eyes for numerous reasons, the game has seen a ban being imposed on PUBG Mobile in many countries, especially South Asian countries.
A list of nations to have slammed the doors on PUBG Mobile.
1. India
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The Indian Government had suspended a total of 220 applications of Chinese origin across three ban waves. These apps were axed on September 2 for security and privacy reasons by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology after the Galwan Valley tensions.
PUBG Mobile was unscathed in the first wave but received the hammer later and fans were left dismayed by this move.
The press release stated: "The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has received many complaints from various sources, including several reports about the misuse of some mobile apps available on Android and iOS platforms for stealing and surreptitiously transmitting users’ data in an unauthorized manner to servers which have locations outside India."
After a few months, PUBG Corporation announced PUBG Mobile India, which would be under the Indian belt and players were on cloud nine.
It appeared that the title would soon make a comeback and there have been positive updates on the same.
2. Pakistan
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Indian neighbours Pakistan too banned PUBG Mobile earlier this year. The country’s telecommunication authority (PTA) had temporarily suspended the battle royale title because of complaints received from various sections of the society.
The complaints stated that PUBG Mobile was addictive and a waste of time. It also stated that it severed negative impact on youth's psychological and physical health.
The statement from the press release read: "PTA has received numerous complaints against PUBG wherein it is stated that the game is addictive, wastage of time and poses a serious negative impact on the physical and psychological health of the Children."
The suspension, however, was later lifted after a meeting between Pakistan Telecommunication Authorities and Proxima Beta Ltd (PB) representatives.
3. Afghanistan
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On December 17, the Afghanistan Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (ATRA) had imposed a temporary ban on the game. It was based on complaints received from the Transport and Telecommunications Commission of the Lower House of the Parliament.
The authorities conducted meetings with concerned ministries for suspending the BR title in the country.
Furthermore, ATRA’s acting head, Omar Mansoor Ansari, stated: "Our team submitted a report on the issue to ATRA Board after carrying out a comprehensive analysis, and then a decision was taken to block this game temporarily considering its social and security impact."
4. Nepal
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The game was also banned in Nepal in April 2019 because of the game’s violent impact and content on the youngsters. Nepal Telecommunication Authority (NTA) had directed the operators to block the game as they cited that the game was addictive.
Sandip Adhikari, then deputy director of Nepal Telecommunications Authority, told Reuters: "We have ordered the ban on PUBG because it is addictive to children and teenagers."
Later, after numerous petitions were filed in Nepal’s Supreme Court, the ban was overturned.
5. Company's new announcement
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In a major development, PUBG's parent company Krafton Inc recently appointed Aneesh Aravind as new country manager for India.
With over 15 years of experience in the gaming industry, Aneesh Aravind has worked with gaming giants like Tencent and Zynga.
As per Insidesport, Krafton Inc has got more people on board and these four people were part of Tencent, the company responsible for rights for PUBG Mobile’s Global version.
The new members in the team are Akash Jumde (Visual Content Designer), Piyush Agarwal (Finance Manager), Arpita Priyadarshini (Senior Community Manager) and Karan Pathak (Senior Esports Manager).
