PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds Making Move to Mobile in Push to Dominate China

PlayerUnkown's Battlegrounds has become a dominating force in the streaming and gaming culture. The game isn't even finished, yet -- it's still an early access title in development -- and it's managed to sell over 21 million copies. A while back we reported that Tencent is partnering up with PUBG developer BlueHole to bring the game to the Chinese market, which is huge, but today we found out that this project is even more ambitious than we knew. Tencent and BlueHole are actually developing a mobile version of PUBG.

This, according to a translation of Tencent's official statement (via GamesIndustry.biz). According to the article, "...work is going smoothly and more details on the mobile PUBG edition will be coming soon. It's worth noting that both the PC and mobile versions will have to be tweaked to fit with China's culture and socialist values. It's not clear, however, if Tencent will look to bring the mobile game to the West as well."

If this turns out to be an even half-decent version of the game, Tencent is going to dominate. It is already the most profitable gaming company in the world, and it has a strong grip on the Chinese mobile gaming market -- a market projected to attain a $29 billion worth by the end of this year. You may not think that mobile gaming is big, but it is. It's bigger than console gaming, and it's much bigger than Candy Crush.

It's also important to keep in mind that Tencent is on the cusp of releasing Arena of Valor in the West, which in China is called Honor of Kings. The game has raked in billions, and was a huge factor in Tencent's 61% revenue jolt last quarter.

We'll keep our eye on this one and keep you guys updated. Given PUBG's popularity in the West, it would make perfect sense to bring the mobile version here as well.