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| PUBG Mobile returns to India after ban |
South Korean gaming giant Krafton has brought PUBG Mobile back to India, which banned the game over nine months ago.
For reasons of national security, the world's second largest internet marketplace blocked more than 200 apps last year.
All uses that New Delhi bans in the country are linked to China. The move is seen by many as retaliation for the escalation of tensions between the two nuclear-weapon neighbors over the past year.
Due to its ties to the Chinese company, PUBG Mobile was initially banned along with hundreds of other apps. For this game, Tencent is the main investor in video games.
When the ban went into effect, Crafton announced that it would release new features specifically for Indian players in the region, including changing the colors and explicitly designing the game as a virtual training ground.
PUBG Mobile is back in India after changing its name to Battlegrounds Mobile India in the South Asian market.
PUBG Mobile is back in India:
The game is now available to all users nationwide to download from the Google Play Store, provided they sign up for Early Access before it's released.
Although PUBG Mobile now uses a different name, it is the same game, plus users have a quick and easy way to transfer their PUBG Mobile account to the new app.
The new game is exactly the same as PUBG Mobile but with data compatibility, green blood, and your constant reminders in the virtual world.
These changes are likely Crafton's attempts to address past concerns from local authorities, some of which have raised concerns about the impact of gambling on young people.
Ahead of the scheduled restart, Krafton announced that it was cutting its relationship with Tencent in India and moving the game's hosting to the Microsoft Azure data center in the country. Krafton has also publicly announced that it will invest $100 million in India's gaming ecosystem.
Battlegrounds Mobile India now hosts its data in the country and is committed to conducting regular audits.