South Korea's Krafton will launch Battlegrounds Mobile India, a successor to the popular mobile game PUBG that was blocked by the Indian government last year.

The game will be launched as a free-to-play one on mobile devices and will be available to play only in India. Battlegrounds Mobile India -- a battle royale experience -- will have a period of pre-registration before the launch. Krafton said it will collaborate with partners to build an e-sports ecosystem while bringing in-game content regularly, starting with a series of India specific in-game events.

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"With privacy and data security being a top priority, Krafton will be working with partners, to ensure data protection and security, at each stage. This will ensure privacy rights are respected, and all data collection and storage will be in full compliance with all applicable laws and regulations in India and for players here," it added. In November, PUBG Corporation said it planned to create an Indian subsidiary to enhance communications and services with players. With its parent company Krafton, Inc, PUBG Corporation had said it planned to make investments worth USD 100 million (about Rs 750 crore) in India to cultivate the local video game, e-sports, entertainment, and IT industries.

In September last year, the government blocked 118 mobile applications, including PUBG, terming them prejudicial to the sovereignty, integrity and defence of the nation. Following the ban, PUBG Corporation -- a subsidiary of Krafton -- had said China's Tencent Games would no longer be authorised to distribute the PUBG MOBILE franchise in India. At that time, PUBG Corporation had said it will take on all publishing responsibilities within India.

In November, PUBG Corporation said it was preparing to launch a new game for the Indian market. "Developed by KRAFTON, the game will offer a world-class AAA multiplayer gaming experience on mobile. Battlegrounds Mobile India will release with exclusive in-game events like outfits and features and will have its own e-sports ecosystem with tournaments and leagues," Krafton said in a statement on Thursday.

According to reports, India accounted for a significant portion of PUBG MOBILE's download and usage. Reports also suggest that a number of smartphone gamers in the country shifted to COD Mobile (Call of Duty Mobile) game post the PUBG ban. PUBG MOBILE is the mobile version of PUBG, an intellectual property owned and developed by PUBG Corporation, a South Korean gaming company.

The game successfully transported the PC battle royale gameplay experience into mobile, which went on to gain immense popularity worldwide.

(With PTI inputs)

(Edited by : Abhishek Jha)

First Published:May 6, 2021 1:43 PM IST