PUBG Mobile: Despite 24% of Total Global Downloads, India Accounts only 1.2% of Revenues

PUBG Mobile continues to be a hot topic of discussion and today we have some new statistics courtesy market analyst Sensor Tower. Being one of the most popular mobile games around the world, PUBG Mobile players have reportedly spent over $3.5 billion on the game ever since its launch in 2018. Specifically, in 2020, where most of us have been forced to stay indoors, the game earned $1.8 billion and has seen 198 million downloads so far this year with the last $500 million coming just in the last 72 days.

While these numbers look terrific, things are not the same in India. On September 2, the Indian government released an order to ban 118 Chinese apps in the country including the highly popular battle royale game, PUBG Mobile. The game is currently banned and has been pulled down from the Google Play Store as well as the Apple App Store. Notably, downloading or updating the game by any means is illegal in the country. It was also reported that Tencent, the publisher of the game, had reportedly lost $34 billion in terms of market value, just a day after the ban on 118 Chinese apps in India. According to Sensor Tower’s report, around 24-percent of the game’s global downloads are from India. This doesn’t come as a surprise considering the massive popularity of the game. However, India accounts for only 1.2-percent of PUBG Mobile’s revenues. Essentially what this means is that Indian gamers do not like to spend money on PUBG Mobile for things like Royal Pass, various skins, and other in-game items.

Despite the disappointing revenue numbers the game’s original owner, PUBG Corporation, is making efforts to unban the game in India. According to a statement by PUBG Corp, it is actively looking into the entire issue and has taken away the official publishing rights from Tencent Games in India. PUBG Corp has taken all the publishing responsibilities, however, the company is said to be looking for an Indian brand for the official distribution of the game.