Tencent kills off PUBG Mobile in China, replaces it with a patriotic version
PUBG is still available in China on Steam.
After more than a year of waiting for approval from Chinese regulators to monetize the mobile version of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, publisher Tencent has shut down the test version of the game, updating it to a more patriotic version called 'Game for Peace.'
Tencent says Game for Peace “pays tribute to the blue sky warriors that guard our country’s airspace” and has a counter-terrorism theme. However, Reuters reports that Weibo users have described the game as being similar to PUBG in almost every way, except for the blood and gore. Now, instead of dying, characters fall down briefly, then get back up and wave goodbye.
However, Weibo users have noted that when they update their version of PUBG to Game for Peace, the progression they've made in PUBG transfers over.
Tencent has made enough changes with Game for Peace to pass muster with China’s regulators, allowing the company to charge for in-game items.
Players in China will still be able to access the PC version of PUBG through Steam, which operates in a somewhat grey regulatory area there.
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