Is PUBG Mobile a Chinese app? Clearing the confusion about the game's origin

The player base of PUBG in India is massive and according to reports, there are around 10-15 million active PUBG Mobile players in India .

After a call from Sonam Wangchuck, a famous engineer, innovator and education reformist, to boycott Chinese products, PUBG players are contemplating whether PUBG is of Chinese origin or not.

Thus, the time seems ripe to take a closer look at the origin of the game and how it became one of the most revered mobile titles of all time.

Origin of PUBG

PUBG developed by PUBG Corporation

PUBG was developed and published by PUBG Corporation which is a subsidiary of the South Korean video game company Bluehole Studio. It is now held under a unified gaming brand named Krafton Game Union.

Brendan Greene is accredited with the creation of PUBG Mobile, who led Bluehole as a creative director when PUBG was introduced in 2017.

Origin of PUBG Mobile

PUBG Mobile developed by Tencent Games

In 2017, when PUBG was banned in China, Tencent Games, the video game publishing division of Tencent Holdings, which is also a Chinese multinational conglomerate secured the rights to distribute PUBG in China after changing the game.

By that time the Chinese giant had also planned to develop the Mobile version of the game for the Chinese community, i.e., PUBG Mobile. The mobile version was released in China and became an instant hit and then later on released it worldwide in early 2018.

Hence when the game is launched, the players first see the Tencent Logo and then the PUBG Corporation logo. Tencent Games also bought a 10% stake in Bluehole, in mid-2018. It is reported that the Tencent Games earned 1.3$ billion from PUBG Mobile in 2019.

This gaming giant also has the full ownership of Riot Games of which they acquired 93% in 2011 with them gaining control of the remaining shares in 2015. They also have 40% ownership in EPIC games, the American game development company, that launched Fortnite.