A report in the Economic Times suggests that the Indian government has issued notices to as many as 59 Chinese apps in order to permanently block them from operating in the country. The news comes nearly seven months after the government went after Chinese tech products and apps in the aftermath of the Galwan Valley clashes that saw Indian and Chinese troops engage near the Indo-China border.
The initial ban was on 59 apps including TikTok, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, and Clash of Kings among others. However in September, the authorities also called for additional bans to 118 more apps, which included PUBG Mobile and Arena of Valor. The latest reports suggest that the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) found the answers and clarifications from companies following the ban to be inadequate. The same was communicated to the concerned parties and the temporary block has now been made permanent.
The permanent ban does not extend to PUBG Mobile, which was the country’s most popular esport title at the time of banning. Krafton has since taken back publishing rights of the game from Tencent and is working behind the scenes to get it reinstated. But there has been little progress to show in that happening, other than a few key hires. The permanent ban is going to be a game-changer for India’s mobile MOBA market as well, as Mobile Legends was the most popular title in the category. It will make the region even more enticing for Riot Games and Wild Rift but they too have to tread carefully due to their involvement with Tencent and China.
Shounak Sengupta is a staff writer for AFK Gaming.
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