The recent developments suggest that PUBG Mobile is getting unbanned by the end of 2020, and we can expect a big announcement from PUBG Corp this Diwali.
According to a TechCrunch article, PUBG Corp is planning to resume the game "in India before the end of this year". PUBG Corp has been in talks with high profile Indian streamers and they might release a statement about this as early as this week. The South Korean studio is also planning to run a marketing campaign this Diwali, probably to gain the positive sentiments of Indian users and the government, as Rishi Alwani, a known face in the Indian esports media believes. They have been trying desperately to get the game unbanned in India, one of the biggest mobile gaming markets. They have been approaching literally every firm that can publish the game in India, including Paytm, Airtel, and Jio, according to sources.
The Indian government had banned PUBG Mobile on September 02, 2020, under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act following tensions on the Indo-Sino border. The govt had claimed that 118 Chinese apps, including PUBG Mobile, were malicious. Ever since the game was banned, we have had numerous developments, some points towards a permanent ban on the game, while others hint towards the game getting unbanned soon. So here is a list of some prominent updates that hint towards the game's return in India.
PUBG Mobile might be coming back to India by 2020
Here are some of the events which suggest that PUBG Mobile is getting unbanned either by 2020 or February, 2021.
Discussions at Villages Esports
In a community discussion at Villager Esports' Discord server, a fan had asked about the game being unbanned, and they had said that PUBG Mobile will make a comeback by February 2020.
Indian influencers and streamers are hinting
As I said, Indian streamers have been hinting about the return of PUBG Mobile on their streams and other social media channels. PUBG Corp has also been in direct contact with these influencers, so this definitely holds value.
Talks with Indian firms
PUBG Corp has been in talks with literally every big firm in India that can publish the game in India. The list includes Paytm, Airtel and Jio, according to various sources.
Change of ownership
After the game was banned in India, and the government had accused Tencent of potential data theft, the South Korean studio has acquired the right to publish PUBG Mobile in India from Tencent. "[We are] committed to providing its unique battle royale experience to a global audience and hopes to continue engaging with its passionate player base in India", they had said in a statement.
Job-posting on Linkedin
They had posted a recruitment titled as Corporate Development Division Manager – India on Linkedin. This only means that they are setting up everything here in India.
There have been many events that point towards the game being unbanned in India, sooner or later. But the question remains, will the Indian government agree to launch the game again? In-fact, sources had also revealed that the govt is unlikely to unban PUBG Mobile due to its violent nature. This might be true because the game was banned despite the fact that they had relocated the servers to India. Let's see how PUBG Corp manages to convince the government and get the game re-launched/
TL;DR: PUBG Corp is desperate to return to India, but will the government agree?