The news about PUBG Mobile paving its way back in the Indian market took the gaming industry by storm. The only twist in the story is that it will be coming under a different name. During the revealing of the new logo, KRAFTON announced that PUBG Mobile India has been renamed as Battlegrounds Mobile India. According to the makers, the game aims to provide AAA multiplayer gaming experience on mobile with privacy and data security being a top priority.
Since last September’s PUBG Mobile ban, fans have been eagerly waiting to catch the glimpse of the game and finally the wait is over with the announcement. Post the announcement, in no time, the micro blogging site Twitter was flooded with #battlegroundsmobileindia tweets which clearly showcases how excited and happy the PUBG Mobile India fans are.
Alongside KRAFTON also announced that the game will be available first for pre-registration and the company will also collaborate with partners to build an esports ecosystem while bringing in-game content regularly; starting with a series of India specific in-game events at launch.
On this major announcement, esports experts shared their insights to AnimationXpress. Here they are:
NODWIN Gaming co-founder and MD Akhsat Rathee said, “The announcement of Battlegrounds Mobile India has got everyone super excited. The gaming community has waited long to hear from KRAFTON. and are eager to get their hands on it. Looking forward to the future.”
Newgen Gaming co-founder Kiran Noojibail shared, “It’s exciting to see Battlegrounds Mobile India being announced. Hopefully this title brings in mass participation and viewership, thus providing an impetus to the Indian esports ecosystem, like PUBG Mobile did at a point. It would be interesting to see if and how this title connects to a global stage.”
Esports Federation of India director and Asian Esports Federation (AESF) vice president Lokesh Suji said, “It’s good to see that KRAFTON has considered the Indian requirements and has modified the game and this will surely fuel the Indian esports ecosystem. KRAFTON has been already taking positive initiatives in the Indian market in the last few months which is very heartening to see and also highlights the capability of the esports ecosystem in India. However, I hope KRAFTON has plugged all the necessary approvals to bring back this popular game.
We request other game developers as well to follow a similar model and customise India specific games thereby creating more value for the Indian esports community and encourage the local gamers and esports athletes to take this sport as a viable career option. As a federation, we have always supported and encouraged any initiative which has India at the core with the possibility to become a powerhouse in esports. We also urge and hope that Indian gaming developers will also follow suit and come up with more esports titles that will fuel and strengthen the esports ecosystem in India.”
Ultimate Battle founder Tarun Gupta said, “Battlegrounds Mobile India, a PUBG Mobile variant’s India launch has been highly anticipated in recent months. KRAFTON has been very active in the Indian market recently which was an indication that the PUBG Mobile variant may soon see the daylight in India. At Ultimate Battle, we are excited to hear about this and will be adding Battlegrounds India on the platform as soon as it launches. We forecast to see the downloads cross the 1m+ mark in the first week of the launch.”
Trinity Gaming co-founder and COO Shivam Rao said, “We are thrilled and excited, as the countdown for the launch of Battlegrounds Mobile India has officially begun. We believe this time, it is not just a game; it’s an opportunity for the whole gaming community to grow and increase their brand value in the industry. The game will be a huge step towards the successful future of esports in India. We believe the content creators community will get a major boost once the game will be launched and it will fuel our ambition of creating a unique ecosystem for the gaming content creators to make a serious career out of their passion.”
Global Esports CEO and founder Rushindra Sinha said, “When PUBG Mobile got banned a lot of people thought it was the end of esports in India, but the ecosystem opened up to allow more titles and let the PUBG Mobile users explore the world of video games with a more open mind. With PUBG Mobile coming back albeit under a new name Battlegrounds Mobile India (they’ve dropped the Player Unknown) and customised the game for Indian audiences, I think it will be really interesting to see how, the now much more mature audience and ecosystem handles the game. There are a lot of promising things to look forward to and we can certainly say that 2021 will be the biggest and best Indian esports has ever seen.”
Skyesports founder and CEO Shiva Nandy said, “Indian esports is already growing at a fast pace and Battlegrounds Mobile India coming back will only grow bigger and bigger. The fans were eagerly waiting for the return and we can expect a huge jump in Indian gaming viewership, user base and of course revenues. Skyesports can’t wait to explore once again.”
Blitzkrieg XP head of marketing Samin Ahmed said, “With the Battlegrounds Mobile India news dropping today, we could expect a lot more action in the esports and gaming landscape. This will give the entire esports ecosystem a fresh momentum that will ensure never seen before benchmarks, in turn giving a plethora of brands the opportunity to engage with the youth of India through gaming, as it continues to be an emerging media platform.”
All Kerala Esports Federation president Amal Arjun said, “Yes, it is an undeniable fact – PUBG is the game that enhanced the overall esports setup in the country. I hope its return will strengthen the current esports scenario in the country. It will be a boost for all the stakeholders of the game. There is a lot of love and support for the game in the country. It is a pleasure to know that Krafton has the same in return. As they already conveyed, there will be India specific special events because this is a game specially designed for the Indian audience, so it will be an immense opportunity for the esports athletes in the country to showcase their talents. As a gaming enthusiast, I’m pretty excited to see how the esports ecosystem accepts this return.”
EWar Games founder Parth Chadha says, “We at EWar had organized some major titles in partnership with Tencent earlier (before PUBG was banned). Now with the popular Battle Royale game making a comeback, we will be looking forward to doing everything in our capacity to promote the game and take the momentum ahead along with the nation’s gamers and eSports ecosystem. Before it was banned, PUBG Mobile used to be one of the most popular games on EWar. We have had over 5000 teams playing the PUBG tournaments that were organised by EWar”.