New Delhi, September 2: India has banned 118 apps, including the immensely popular PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) mobile game. The development came amid tension between India and China in Ladakh. Earlier, the Indian government banned 59 Chinese applications, including TikTok, after 20 soldiers were killed in a face-off with Chinese troops in Galwan valley in June this year. Since then, there had been a growing demand to ban Chinese apps, including PUBG and TikTok. PUBG, WeChat, Ludo World Banned: Full List of 118 Chinese Apps Banned by Indian Government on September 2, 2020.
Is PUBG a Chinese app? This question doesn't have an absolute answer. The brain behind PUBG, which was launched in 2017, is Irish video game designer Brendan Greene who also created games like ARMA 2 and Day Z: Battle Royale. For computer systems, the game was designed and developed by PUBG Corporation, a subsidiary of South Korean game developing company named Bluehole. To enter the gaming market of China, Bluehole partnered with the Chinese gaming company Tencent Games which introduced the mobile version of the game. PUBG Ban Funny Memes and Jokes Trend Online After Indian Govt Bans 118 Chinese Apps: Twitterati Express Happiness of Parents and Sadness of Gamers Using Funniest Meme Reactions.
PUBG became an instant hit in China, however, it never got the approval of the Chinese government. China had banned PUBG saying it leaves an adverse effect on the minds of the young and aspiring generation and lead to severe consequences. Tencent Games re-released the game under the title, Game for Peace, eliminating all of the blood and gore. The Chinese firm developed two mobile versions of PUBG.
PUBG: Exhilarating Battlefield was an abridged version of the original game developed by LightSpeed & Quantum Studio, the second version was PUBG: Army Attack developed by Timi Studio. Both LightSpeed & Quantum Studio and Timi Studio are owned and operated by Tencent Games. Now to answer whether PUBG is a Chinese app is that yes and no. Tencent Games has bought a 10% stake in Bluehole, which owns PUBG Corporation. In simple words, PUBG is a product of South Korea, but its developer shares profit with the Chinese company Tencent Games.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 02, 2020 06:20 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).