PUBG Shuts Down in China, Replaced With Patriotic Game

Tencent has decided to shut down PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds in China with the game being replaced by another similar title called Game of Peace. The massively popular battle royale game was being tested in China and boasted millions of players, but after failing to receive a license which would allow the company to collect revenue from in-app purchases, Tencent announced its new game which does allow for profits and also doubles as a patriotic product.

Reuters initially reported on the decision from Tencent and cited stats that said PUBG Mobile had around 70 million active players each day in China, so it goes without saying that the removal of the game is a big deal there. The new game that replaces it, Game of Peace, is reportedly quite similar to PUBG in terms of gameplay and design, though Tencent told Reuters "they are very different genres of games." Players who have played Game of Peace said that they were returned to the same level they were in PUBG after updating to that new game and that other stats and measures of progress also carried over.

Game of Peace has an anti-terrorism theme to it, according to Reuters, one with more patriotic elements to it. Tencent described the game as a tactical shooter which was developed in-house and referenced the Chinese air force by saying it "pays tribute to the blue sky warriors that guard our country's airspace." Gore has also been removed from the game in compliance with regional regulations that apply to new titles.

Since Tencent owns the rights to publish PUBG in China, it's unclear what the future may hold for the game there, but Game of Peace seems to be the go-to alternative now. With Electronic Arts currently working to bring Apex Legends to China and also to mobile platforms, it'll be interesting to see if that game can move in and fill a void left by PUBG's removal.

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