PUBG Corp parent firm Krafton on Friday announced that pre-registrations for its “brand new” game Battlegrounds Mobile India developed exclusively for the Indian market will go live on May 18. The game will be initially available for pre-registrations on Google Play Store for Android users only with Krafton yet to make any such announcement about its iOS counterpart.
Battlegrounds Mobile India was announced on May 6. Called PUBG Mobile India previously, this is Krafton’s second attempt to re-launch PUBG Mobile in India after the government banned it in September last year over privacy concerns due to its links with Shenzhen-based Tencent Games.
In its fresh avatar, Krafton is promising a brand new PUBG game — presumably built from scratch — for India dropping all mentions of the word “PUBG” from all communication. The game no longer has any association with Tencent, or even with PUBG Corp for that matter even as Krafton is taking matters in its own hands (and leaving no stone unturned to make a comeback in one of the world’s largest mobile market where PUBG Mobile was once nothing short of a best seller). For those unaware, Krafton is a video game company based out of Korea.
Also Read | PUBG Mobile maker announces Battlegrounds Mobile India in fresh attempt to re-enter the country after government ban
To build hype, Krafton is also promising exclusive rewards for Indian players “only if they pre-register” and make them available to claim on game launch. That bit remains a mystery for now but at least it’s all but confirmed now that Krafton will indeed launch Battlegrounds Mobile India soon which appears to answer the pertinent question — it has finally been able to secure government clearance to relaunch a PUBG Mobile-like multiplayer battle royale mobile game in India, nearly eight months after the game was banned in the country.
Not a lot is known about Battlegrounds Mobile India at this point of time. All we know is that the game will be free-to-play — at launch — and it will have “exclusive in-game events like outfits and features and will have its own esports ecosystem with tournaments and leagues.” Krafton has previously said it will work with partners to ensure data protection and security at each stage in “compliance with all applicable laws and regulations in India and for players here.” With pre-registrations going live on May 18, hopefully more information will start to trickle out soon.
