PUBG Mobile may relaunch as Battlegrounds Mobile India; Krafton donates Rs. 1.5 Crore for COVID relief

It looks like Krafton, the company behind PUBG Mobile is making some new moves around its banned Battle Royale title. Several new reports have made their way online outlining that the company may release a renamed version of PUBG Mobile. The company will likely the name of PUBG Mobile to Battlegrounds Mobile India. This comes months after we noted that Krafton was working on a special version of PUBG Mobile called PUBG Mobile India. The company also renamed all PUBG Mobile India social media handles to reflect the new name. Finally, Krafton has shared an announcement regarding donating Rs. 1.5 Crore to the PM Cares fund in India for COVID-19 relief. Let’s check out the details around Battlegrounds Mobile India, the new name of PUBG Mobile, and the Rs 1.5 Crore Krafton donation here.

PUBG Mobile India may relaunch under Battlegrounds Mobile India name

Krafton or PUBG Studio has not made any official announcement regarding the change of PUBG Mobile to Battlegrounds Mobile India. However, PUBG Studio did change the official handles on Facebook, and YouTube to reflect the change. The company confirmed this change on the PUBG Mobile India discord server likely making things more official. In addition, it also removed or archived all the posts that it had made on these accounts in the past. It will likely help the company dissociate from the old name and branding going forward.

GemWire was the first to notice this name in a new creative poster as a thumbnail in a Vimeo collection. This is the same collection that stored the Diwali Coming Soon video that PUBG Studio released last year. The name of the video file translates to “India Recall Campaign Motion_v02.mp4”. However, the file was private, so we don’t know the contents of the video file. In addition to the creative, it also found the “Coming Soon” text. Finally, TSM Abhijeet “Ghatak” Andhare also dropped some hits around an impending announcement around PUBG Mobile India. He noted in several Instagram stories and a tweet that a “huge announcement” was coming tomorrow.

Krafton contributes Rs. 1.5 Crore for COVID relief in India

Besides the information around the rename and possible relaunch, Krafton also announced a donation worth Rs. 1.5 Crore to the PM CARES Fund through its local branch. As part of the contribution, Changhan (CH) Kim, the company's CEO, also issued a statement. Kim stated, “India is navigating a challenging time with the current wave of COVID-19. We remain committed to supporting the efforts of the Government in battling this unprecedented crisis.”

He went on to add, “We hope our contribution to the PM CARES Fund will help the aid efforts currently operational on ground.” This is not the first time the company has announced a major contribution to India. The company also announced a massive investment late last year to relaunch PUBG Mobile. Though this COVID-19 relief donation is likely not related to the relaunch of the game. However, we will have to wait and watch if it affects the stance of the Indian government.