Will engage with authorities to ensure the availability of its apps in India: PUBG Mobile developer Tencent

In response to the ban on PUBG Mobile, publisher Tencent said on Thursday that the privacy and data of its users are of the utmost priority and that it takes the protection of them very seriously. The company said it would engage with Indian authorities to ensure the continued availability of its apps in India.

PUBG Mobile was one of the most popular of the 118 apps banned by the Indian Government earlier this week. The government cited data security concerns as the reason for banning the apps. PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) Mobile has tens of millions of Indian players, many of whom see it as a welcome distraction during the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, the 118 Chinese apps, including PUBG Mobile, were a threat to India's sovereignty and security. The ban comes at a time when Chines companies in the country are being targeted amid Indo-China border disputes.

More recently, PUBG Mobile has also been taken down from the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. People who already have the game installed on their devices can still play it, although that may change if internet service providers (ISPs) block network access to the app. Even the Lite version of the PUBG Mobile has been removed from Google and Apple's app stores.