PUBG ban 'a great opportunity for Indian video game developers,' says ESFI director Lokesh Suji

India on Wednesday banned 118 more Chinese apps as the backlash intensified against Beijing over an increasingly bitter border showdown between the giant neighbours. PUBG is a huge name in e-sports circles, and the banning of the app has been met with concern from the community, but E-sports Federation of India (ESFI) director Lokesh Suji downplayed the issue in a statement released on Wednesday. “There is no need to panic, the Indian gaming industry has enough wherewithal and can’t be termed dependent on one game. This is a great opportunity for Indian video game developers to build innovative online multiplayer games. Games like HitWicket, WCC or mythology-based games like Raji which are all homegrown products and now have the great opportunity to encash their presence,” said Suji. “While the stress is to become “Atmanirbhar” I believe this is a great opportunity for the government and the Ministry of Sports to also recognise Esports as a medal-prospect sporting opportunity. The gaming community which is fragmented currently can also benefit if government recognition is given to the sport,” he added. The PUBG mobile app has millions of young users in India. The company said it had been made aware of the government action but had no comment. PUBG was developed by a South Korean company, but the mobile version that has taken off around the world was developed by Chinese company Tencent. With inputs from AFP.