PUBG Mobile is coming back to India as Battlegrounds Mobile

PUBG Mobile is coming back to India under a new name, Krafton announced today. Battlegrounds Mobile India will be a free-to-play title for Android and iOS devices which is “coming soon.”

PUBGM was banned in India on September 2, 2020, due to data privacy concerns. Krafton assured fans in a blog post today that privacy and data security are a “top priority” for the company. It added that it will be working with “partners” to ensure data collection and storage for Battlegrounds Mobile India complies with local laws.

Krafton also said that the new battle royale game will have a separate esports ecosystem in the country comprising leagues and tournaments. The company had said last year that it planned to create the “largest professional esports league” in the country.

Additionally, Battlegrounds Mobile India will be released with exclusive in-game events and features for players in the South Asian country. A release date for the game hasn’t been revealed yet. Krafton has said that it will be “coming soon” after a period of pre-registrations.

Following the game’s ban last year, Krafton announced that it was launching an Indian subsidiary and investing $100 million into India. The company had also announced PUBG Mobile India, a separate game for the country which had green blood effects and play-time limits. Based on the announcement today, it seems that the initial plans for the game’s relaunch have been changed.

It’s unclear if Battlegrounds Mobile India will have green blood effects as well. According to the game’s privacy policy and terms of service, certain playtime restrictions for underage players will be in effect, though.

Players who are under 18 years of age will be required to provide the mobile phone number of a parent or guardian, the privacy policy for the game reads. This will be used to confirm that the player is “legally eligible” to play the game.

Besides this, underage players will only be able to play the game for a maximum of three hours per day. They will also be restricted to spending Rs. 7,000 (about $95) per day.