PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds may be breaking records and acquiring worldwide recognition, however there’s one country in particular that’s not a fan of the battle royale shooter… China.
In a recent statement to Bloomberg Tech made by the China Audio-Video and Digital Publishing Association, the game could wind up being banned from the country. According to the association, PUBG isn’t compatible with, “Socialist core values and the traditional Chinese culture and ethical norms.”
China is notorious for banning Western games they deem to be violent or inappropriate. While the game hasn’t been banned yet, statements like those made by the China Audio-Video and Digital Publishing Association paint a pretty dark picture. One where Chinese players may be out of luck when it comes to one of this year’s most popular games, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds.
As of right now, there’s no official distributor of PUBG in China. Without an official distributor, Chinese gamers are limited to downloading PUBG and running it via VPN. There's still hope for a Chinese release, though.
Last month, PUBG publisher Bluehole confirmed they were in talks with Chinese internet company Tencent regarding the game. Chang Byung-gyu, chairman and co-founder of Bluehole, noted that the discussions had been promising and that, "Tencent could be a very important partner for us."
We hope the PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds team can work out a deal resulting in the game’s distribution in China. After all, no one should have to miss out on a good round or two of PUBG!
