The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has cleared the confusion regarding PUBG Mobile's relaunch in India. In response to multiple RTI applications filed by MediaNama, the ministry said it did not grant any permission for PUBG Mobile India. The ban on PUBG Mobile was imposed by the MeitY back in September this year and the servers were taken down on October 30. However, last month, PUBG Corporation stated it is bringing a new version of the game aka 'PUBG Mobile India,' and it even started teasing the game's relaunch. But the fact is MeitY did not grant any permission for the company to launch the game in India.
PUBG Mobile Relaunch Has No Permission from MeitY
The MeitY, in its response to an RTI, said “MeitY does not grant permission for starting of any websites/mobile Apps/service. Accordingly, MeitY has not granted permission to PUBG/PUBG Mobile India.” In response to another RTI, it reiterated that the “MeitY has not given any permission for launch of PUBG.”
It is evident that PUBG Corporation does not have enough permissions for relaunching the game in the country. So the sad news is: PUBG Mobile India isn't launching anytime soon. Multiple reports on the web also highlighted that the MeitY officials even declined meetings with PUBG Corporation for a possible settle down in the matter.
This news will come as a massive disappointment for many PUBG Mobile players in the country. The relaunch of the game is now under uncertainty and we are yet to receive an official statement from PUBG Corporation regarding this news.
Last month, right before Diwali, PUBG Corporation made a special announcement of 'PUBG Mobile India' version launch with some changes compared to the global version. Also, the company partnered with Microsoft Azure to host the player data within the country, so that the MeitY can rule out data security and hosting issue.
The company also stated it would be investing $100 million in India and also drive the esports growth. India is the largest market for PUBG Mobile and the ban is already hugely affecting the company. Right now, PUBG Corporation is holding the PUBG Mobile Global Championship online tournament and India isn't part of this massive esports event. Thanks to the lack of Indian teams, the viewership of the tournament on YouTube also saw a massive decline.
Do you think the MeitY should grant permission for PUBG Mobile India relaunch? Let us know by commenting below.
