In mid-2020, citing user-privacy security concerns, the Indian government banned PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) Mobile game along with more than 100 Chinese apps in the country.
Soon after the announcement, parent company Krafton severed ties with Shenzen-based Tencent Games, which had the PUBG publishing rights in India.
Early this year, Krafton launched special Battlegrounds Mobile India to fill the void left by the PUBG.
Now, in a surprise announcement, Krafton's subsidiary PUBG Studios has announced to launch PUBG: New State in India.
"In response to the heavy excitement and strong support of the Indian fans for the PUBG IP, Krafton decided to expand the regions for PUBG: New State pre-registration following the launch of Battlegrounds Mobile India," said the company.
Interested gamers can pre-register for PUBG: New State on their phones (Android and iOS) via Google Play Store and Apple App Store, respectively in India.
“Knowing that PUBG IP from Krafton is enjoying countrywide popularity in India and our Indian fans have high interest in the launch of PUBG: NEW STATE in India, we at PUBG STUDIOS are doing our best to offer a battle royale experience only we can deliver based on the stable service for our Indian fans," said Minkyu Park, PUBG: New State, executive producer.
As per the description on PUBG: New State page on Apple App Store, the expected launch date is said to be October 8.
It remains to be seen if Battlegrounds Mobile India will continue after the arrival of PUBG: New State, as they fall under the same genre battle royale and most importantly, feature the same characters and target missions with minor differences.
It makes no business sense to keep two similar games. We will know for sure how things will play out by the end of this year.
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