The developer of the popular battle mobile-video game PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, or PUBG, has chosen to cut its ties with China technology giant Tencent Holdings Ltd. in India.
The decision is being seen as an attempt by the game's developer to circumvent the India government's ban on China mobile apps and to retain its massive user base in its largest market.
On Tuesday, PUBG Corp. announced it would no longer be working with Tencent Games in the distribution and publishing of its mobile game in India. The South Korea company said it would be taking over all of the publishing responsibilities for the mobile version of its internationally popular video game.
The decision to sever its ties with the China company followed the India government adding an additional 118 China-made apps to its growing list of banned mobile platforms. Apart from PUBG the list includes popular mobile apps such as Baidu and Alibaba's mobile payments Alipay.
In a statement, PUBG Corp. said it understood and respected India's decision to protect the privacy and security of its citizens and to secure its national security. The company said it shared those goals and it considered the privacy of its users a priority.
The developer said it would work with India officials to find a solution that would remove PUBG from the ban list. It said it would also make sure its products complied with all relevant India laws and regulations.
Last year, PUBG was the most popular mobile game in India in terms of monthly active users. In August the game was the highest-grossing mobile video game in the country - generating more than $2.2 million in revenue. According to analytics company App Annie, PUBG has been downloaded more than 54 million times in India.
Losing its partnership with PUBG in India is a big blow to Tencent given that some of its apps are already on the country's ban list. The China company's messaging app WeChat, which is now unavailable in India, is also in danger of being banned in the U.S.
India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has banned close to 200 China mobile apps. The ministry has accused all of being threats to the country's sovereignty and national security.
