South Korean video game developer and publisher Krafton has launched Battlegrounds Mobile India, a reinvention of the company’s free-to-play battle royale game, PUBG Mobile. PUBG Mobile was banned by the Indian government along with dozens of other Chinese-made or published apps for iOS and Android devices in August of 2020 due to an ongoing border conflict between the two countries.
Currently, the game is available for download through Google Play. Krafton did not indicate when or if the game would be coming to Apple devices.
Pre-registrations for Battlegrounds Mobile India launched on May 18, with 40 million people signing up to play the game. Around 20 million people took part in an early access program in June, providing feedback on the game prior to its official launch in India.
Krafton is spending a considerable amount of capital in India to grow its esports scene including contributions to a $9 million USD funding round in streaming platform Loco and $22.5 million investment in India’s top tournament organizer NODWIN Gaming earlier this year.