PUBG Mobile was released back in 2018 and has been one of the biggest mobile gaming sensations over the past five years. With the game being around for so long, it begs the question of if PUBG Mobile is dead. The short answer to that question is no, but the game has lost some of its earlier player base. This is because the game had its fair share of challenges starting with it getting banned in several countries.
Source: Krafton
PUBG Mobile has been banned in several countries
If you have seen the legendary DJ Khaled meme of “Suffering from Success,” PUBG Mobile is the perfect game to describe it. The BR title got so popular during the pandemic that several countries started calling the game “too addictive” or a “waste of time” and banning the title.
This includes countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nepal, Jordan, Iraq, and more. These bans essentially made PUBG Mobile dead in these countries. Players have been able to still access it, however, with a VPN.
Perhaps the ban which affected PUBG Mobile the most was India. The Indian government banned the title for alleged data privacy concerns in September 2020. At the time, the country was one of the biggest markets for PUBG Mobile globally. The game has since managed to come back in India, though, albeit as a different title called Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) and distinct servers.
Despite this, PUBG Mobile has remained extremely relevant and popular. The game has more than a billion downloads and perhaps millions of daily active users. Tencent has managed to keep its audience engaged and competitive through regular content updates.
Read Also: How many downloads does PUBG Mobile have?
Tencent brings regular content updates and major collaborations
The main reason for PUBG Mobile’s success is its captivating content updates. Tencent usually releases a major update every other month which includes new weapons, modes, maps, and usually a collaboration.
These collaborations not only bring in-game content but also introduce the game to new demographics. In the past, the game has tied up with the likes of BLACKPINK, Alan Walker, Resident Evil, Godzilla, R3HAB, Lost Frequencies, Arcane, Spider-Man No Way Home, and more.
Many of these collaborations have introduced exciting limited-time modes into the game where players can enjoy PUBG Mobile as their favorite character and immerse in the experience.
PUBG Mobile has a huge audience and Tencent has realized that the only way to sustain it and stop the game from dying is to support it with content. The game started with just three main maps but now has more than seven across battle royale and multiplayer modes.
PMWI 2023 Viewership indicates the healthy state of the game
While there are no publicly available statistics to assess whether a game like PUBG Mobile is dead or not, esports viewership does give an idea of the state of the game.
PUBG Mobile has one of the largest esports ecosystems in the world. This includes grassroots-level leagues, national championships, a partnered league, and two global LAN events every year. Since 2020, though, the viewership from esports viewership has fallen as the world returned to normalcy and also game bans like in India affecting it.
However, the recently conclude PMWI 2023 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia was an indication of the healthy state of affairs behind the game. The peak viewership saw year-over-year growth of 22.5 percent while the average viewership grew by four percent, per Esports Charts.
Much of this growth can be attributed to the increase in viewers in different regional language streams. The viewership from streams like Nepali, Thai, Spanish, and others recorded strong growth.
This is an indication of the growth of the game in different countries around the world. It also shows that PUBG Mobile isn’t dying. The BR title is here to stay.
Read Also: PMWI 2023 viewership growth: Regional streams grow, Indian omission felt
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