Check out two ways you can still download it in India
We brought to light that despite the ban India continues to play pubg and how its still playable. Now we see an official government response to the matter.
The government is aware the ban is being breached, said a senior official.
“We will have to see how many people are using the app through these means and then take a call,” he said. “We can’t stop APK downloads etc completely, since there are so many websites which host them. If the masses are unable to use it and only a few are using it through virtual private networks, it’s not a major concern, since it’s not defeating the purpose of the ban.”
As the government official rightly pointed out that stopping APK downloads is not possible as every time a site Is shutdown, another one will be created.
How is the game playable post ban?
The game is currently not available on playstore to download. It is only downloadable through APK file. Then using third party apps to ban VPN concealing the country of origin, PUBG can be played and updated without hassle.
“Gamers are still playing the game by changing the device IP address, using the auto-download feature on Samsung and Xiaomi smartphones, and using sideloading services such as APKPure,” said Rupantar Guha, an analyst with technology researcher GlobalData.
Important thing to note is that the PUBG servers of India are still live which is why players can connect and play. PUBG is not obligated to switch of its servers, there are other ways to completely ban the app. “To ensure the effectiveness of the ban, the government must instruct the companies to close the servers of the game in India and mandate internet service providers (ISPs), smartphone makers, and domain name system (DNS) hosting services to block PUBG Mobile-related addresses until further notice,” he said. Which basically means that if the government wants to ban the app completely and make it unplayable, they can using these methods.
What has the ban accomplished so far
The reality of the ban is that it has mainly impacted only the esports side of PUBG. This can be said just because of the fact that casual players can still continue to play the game without consequences, even if it is deemed illegal to do so. On the other hand pro teams and orgs cannot continue to play, they could face legal action if caught promoting and playing PUBG as an organization.
We saw that in a retaliation from Tencent, Indian players were banned from playing at major tournaments PMPL and PMCO, even though Indian teams had qualified. Teams were hoping to relocate outside India just to play the tournament. The revenue gained from PUBG prize pools for Indian teams has been a huge amount, which has been a loss to the community who are now looking into other avenues to earn. PUBG garnered just $41.2 million in player revenues from India as compared to $3.5 billion generated globally, according to Sensor Tower, which is just 1.2% of its global revenue.
The ban has definitely killed the PUBG Mobile esports scene in its budding stage, the only game which India was ‘one of the best’ at. It has also caused losses for Tencent, break off from PUBG Corp in India region.
Rumor’s of a new version of the game are going around, we hope with a new version Indian can get back its esports part of PUBG.
