PUBG Mobile will no longer be developed by Tencent in India but experts say that may not be enough

• PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) Corporation is breaking ties with Tencent to develop the mobile version of its battle royale game in-house after Indian banned the game and 117 other mobile apps last week.
• PUBG Corporation is based out of South Korea and holds the intellectual property rights for PUBG Mobile.
• Lawyers point out that since the order by the Government was not specifically against any state, the decision is unlikely to have a bearing on the ban.

The battle royale game with more than 50 million active players in India, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG), will no longer be associated with the Chinese game developing mammoth Tencent.

PUBG Corporation, the company which holds the intellectual property rights (IPR) for the mobile version of the game, issued a statement relaying their decision to take over the development responsibilities going forward.

“It (PUBG Corporation) hopes to work hand-in-hand with the Indian government to find a solution that will allow gamers to once again drop into the battlegrounds while being fully compliant with Indian laws and regulations.,” it said in response to the ban against the mobile gaming app in India.

The company claims is closely monitoring the situation and has seen an overwhelming amount of support from its local fan base.

India’s ban on mobile apps isn’t against China on paper
While India's ban on mobile apps only included apps of Chinese origin, the government press release was not specific to China. “These applications were blocked by the Government on the grounds of prejudice to sovereignty and integrity of India and security of state and public order,” Tanu Banerjee, a partner at IndusLaw told Business Insider,

According to her, disengagement with Tencent may not be of any particular benefit for PUBG Mobile.

"National security considerations make overturning of the ban under 69A of the IT Act rather difficult. However, with a change of ownership, the South Korean owner will have a better chance of convincing the committee set up by the government to look into the ban that they comply with government-mandated data safety laws and data of Indians is not at risk anymore," added Siddharth Mahajan, a partner at Athena Legal.

India is PUBG Mobile's largest market, accounting for nearly one-fourth of the game's users. In the aftermath of India announcing its ban, Tencent's stock lost nearly $34 billion of its value in two days.

SEE ALSO:
Professional PUBG gamers left in the lurch as Indian government bans Tencent’s iconic battle royale game

Tencent loses nearly $34 billion since the PUBG Mobile ban in India — its second-largest valuation dip this year

India bans PUBG, Ludo World, and 116 other Chinese mobile applications