<ul><li>Popular first-person shooter <keyword id="9263126" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="valorant">Valorant</keyword> is coming to mobiles.<br /></li><li><keyword id="2850099" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Riot-Games">Riot Games</keyword>, the company behind the game, announced this on the first anniversary of the PC-only game.<br /></li><li>Valorant now has 14 million monthly players.<br /></li></ul>Riot Games is bringing its popular first-person shooter game, Valorant, to mobile. The company announced that it is working on bringing the Valorant experience to mobile to expand the player community.<br /><br />Launched exactly a year ago (in 2020), Valorant has gained popularity, garnering great reviews over time. Riot also announced that the game now has 14 million players each month.<br /><br />To recap, Valorant is a first-person shooter (FPS) game that combines some of the best aspects of Counter Strike: Global Offensive, and Overwatch, bringing the mechanics of the former and the character abilities of the latter.<br /><br />Valorant is a free-to-play game that is available for computers running Windows 7 or later. It rewards players with good reflexes and aims.<br /><br />"One of our top goals this first year was to earn the trust and respect of the global FPS community, and to prove to them that Valorant will always uphold the fundamentals of a truly worthwhile competitive tac-shooter," said Valorant executive producer Anna Donlon.<br /><br />"To see our growing player community recognise and appreciate what we're trying to do with Valorant is beyond what we could have expected and we are thrilled to soon offer the same competitive Valorant experience to even more global players,” she further added.<br /><br />Riot Games’ <a href="https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2021-06-02-riot-announces-valorant-mobile">announcement</a> about a mobile version of Valorant might seem a little strange to some players since gaming controls are not as precise as they are on computers and gaming consoles.<br /><br />Further, the company skipping consoles might disappoint the game’s fans, but seeing the popularity of mobile versions of rival titles like PUBG, Call of Duty and Fortnite, it’s hard to blame the developers of Valorant.<br /><br /><strong>SEE ALSO:<br /><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/oneplus-is-giving-away-9000-worth-google-stadia-bundle-for-free-but-its-not-available-in-india/articleshow/82965884.cms">OnePlus is giving away ₹9,000 worth Google Stadia bundle for free – but it’s not available in India</a><br /><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/battlegrounds-mobile-india-is-now-official-check-out-launch-date-downloads-and-more/articleshow/82427206.cms">Battlegrounds Mobile India is now official, but comes with several restrictions for minors</a><br /><br /></strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/battlegrounds-mobile-india-pre-registrations-to-begin-on-may-18/articleshow/82702403.cms"><strong>PUBG Mobile: Battlegrounds Mobile India pre-registrations to begin on May 18 – rewards, maps and more</strong></a><br />

Riot Games’ Valorant is coming to mobile

<ul class="summary-list"><li>You can <keyword id="12361784" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="download" source="Orion">download</keyword> <keyword id="12495733" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="league-of-legends" source="Orion">League of Legends</keyword> or any of its spinoffs from the League website or your device's App Store.</li><li>The original League of Legends only runs on Mac and PC, but <keyword id="12615367" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="teamfight-tactics" source="Orion">Teamfight Tactics</keyword>, Wild Rift, and <keyword id="12615369" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="legends-of-runeterra" source="Orion">Legends of Runeterra</keyword> can be played on your phone.</li><li>Every major League of Legends game is free to download and play.</li></ul><p>Over the past decade, <keyword id="12568357" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="riot-games" source="Orion">Riot Games</keyword>' League of Legends has become one of the biggest video game franchises in the world. It's got a TV show, <a href="https://www.insider.com/kda-members-league-of-legends-riot-games-what-is-twitter-seraphine-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener">an award-winning virtual musical group</a>, all sorts of merchandise, and more. And of course, there are already seven League of Legends video games, with more on the way.</p><p>The main <em>four</em> League of Legends games are League of Legends (the original), Teamfight Tactics, League of Legends: Wild Rift, and Legends of Runeterra. They all run on a different selection of devices, but they're all free to download.</p><p>Here's how to download each major League of Legends game and start playing.</p><p><strong>Quick tip:</strong> All League of Legends games are free-to-play, and you can unlock every character without paying real money. But you can spend real money to freely buy characters, "skins" (cosmetics that change what your characters look like), emotes, and other items without grinding for them. Occasionally, there might be skins that are only available by paying money.</p><h2><strong>How to download League of Legends</strong></h2><p>League of Legends, the classic 5v5 MOBA released in 2009, is available on Mac and PC. You can download it from the official website.</p><p><strong>1. </strong><a href="https://www.leagueoflegends.com/en-us/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Head to the official League website</a> and click <strong>Play for Free</strong> in the center or <strong>Play Now</strong> in the top-right corner.</p><p><strong>2. </strong>You'll be asked to sign up for a Riot Games account. If you already have an account, click the tiny option that reads <strong>Already Registered? Click to Download</strong>. Otherwise, enter your email and birthday, then make a username and password.</p><div type="image" title="A page reading &quot;YOUR LEGEND STARTS HERE&quot; that lets the user sign up for a Riot Games account." height="1430" width="2706" msid="87933533" hostid="261"></div><p><strong>3. </strong>Once you make it to the download page, click the blue <strong>Download</strong> option in the middle of the page and save the installer file somewhere that you can find it.</p><div type="image" title="A page reading &quot;PLAY LEAGUE OF LEGENDS NOW&quot; which lets users download League of Legends." height="1414" width="2684" msid="87933536" hostid="261"></div><p><strong>4. </strong>Open the file and install League onto your computer, then launch it and log in. It might have to install some updates the first time you open the app.</p><div type="image" title="The login page for League of Legends." height="1277" width="2223" msid="87933539" hostid="261"></div><p>Once you log into your Riot Games account, you can start playing.</p><div type="image" title="The League of Legends homepage." height="1468" width="2599" msid="87933541" hostid="261"></div><h2><strong>How to download Teamfight Tactics</strong></h2><p>Teamfight Tactics is an "auto battler" game (also known as "auto chess") where you buy League of Legends characters, line them up like toys, and then fight in quick skirmishes against other players. It debuted in 2019, and already rivals the original game in popularity.</p><p>Like the original League, Teamfight Tactics is available on Mac and PC. But you can also download it on your iPhone, iPad, and Android.</p><p>On your computer, you'll play Teamfight Tactics using <a href="https://www.leagueoflegends.com/en-us/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the same League of Legends program</a> that we explained how to download above. When you open the program, click the <strong>TFT</strong> tab at the top to find your separate Teamfight Tactics profile.</p><div type="image" title="The Teamfight Tactics homepage." height="1474" width="2598" msid="87933542" hostid="261"></div><p>On your phone or tablet, you can download Teamfight Tactics from your device's app store. It's available for free <a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/tft-teamfight-tactics/id1480616748" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in the Apple App Store if you've got an iPhone or iPad</a>, and <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.riotgames.league.teamfighttactics&amp;hl=en_US&amp;gl=US" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Google Play Store if you've got an Android</a>.</p><div type="image" title="The app information page for Teamfight Tactics on iPhone (left) and Android (right)." height="1792" width="1656" msid="87933545" hostid="261"></div><h2><strong>How to download League of Legends: Wild Rift</strong></h2><p>Wild Rift is the classic League experience optimized for mobile devices. All your abilities and spells are mapped to the touchscreen, and you'll move by dragging your finger. </p><p>It's also got a separate pool of champions to unlock — nothing you unlock in one game will carry over to the other. You still need a Riot Games account, though.</p><p>League of Legends: Wild Rift is only available on smartphones and tablets. You can download it onto <a href="https://apps.apple.com/ph/app/league-of-legends-wild-rift/id1480616990" target="_blank" rel="noopener">your iPhone or iPad from the Apple App Store</a>, and onto <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.riotgames.league.wildrift&amp;hl=en_US&amp;gl=US" target="_blank" rel="noopener">your Android phone or tablet from the Google Play Store</a>.</p><div type="image" title="The app information page for League of Legends: Wild Rift on iPhone (left) and Android (right)." height="1792" width="1656" msid="87933546" hostid="261"></div><h2><strong>How to download Legends of Runeterra</strong></h2><p>Legends of Runeterra is the League of Legends digital card game, similar to other digital card games like Hearthstone. Almost all of League's classic champions are available as cards in-game, and each has a unique special ability.</p><p><strong>Quick tip:</strong> Like other League games, you can unlock all the cards in Legends of Runeterra without paying money. But spending to buy the best cards right away is doubtlessly the best strategy if you want the strongest decks.</p><p>Uniquely, Legends of Runeterra is only available on Windows PCs, iPhones, iPads, and Android devices. Mac users will have to grab another device.</p><p>To get Legends of Runeterra on your PC:</p><p><strong>1. </strong>Head to <a href="https://playruneterra.com/en-us/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the official Legends website</a> and click <strong>Play Now</strong>.</p><div type="image" title="The Legends of Runeterra website, with the &quot;Play Now&quot; option highlighted." height="1524" width="2900" msid="87933547" hostid="261"></div><p><strong>2. </strong>Create a Riot Games account or sign into your existing account.</p><p><strong>3. </strong>Once you get to the <strong>Access Granted</strong> page, click <strong>Download Now</strong> and save the installer file onto your computer.</p><div type="image" title="The webpage where you can download Legends of Runeterra." height="1121" width="2900" msid="87933549" hostid="261"></div><p><strong>4. </strong>Open the file and install Legends of Runeterra onto your PC, then open it up and log into your Riot Games account. It might have to install some updates the first time you open the app.</p><p>You can start playing right away.</p><p>If you'd rather play on your mobile device, you can download Legends of Runeterra for <a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/legends-of-runeterra/id1480617557" target="_blank" rel="noopener">your iPhone or iPad from the Apple App Store</a>, or for <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.riotgames.legendsofruneterra" target="_blank" rel="noopener">your Android device from the Google Play Store</a>.</p><div type="image" title="The app information page for Legends of Runeterra on iPhone (left) and Android (right)." height="1792" width="1656" msid="87933551" hostid="261"></div><h2><strong>How to download other League of Legends games</strong></h2><p>There are a few more minor League spinoffs. They're all branded as "A League of Legends Story," and follow specific League characters in single-player adventures. All of these games cost money to buy and download as well.</p><p>As of this writing, two games are available: <strong>Ruined King</strong> and <strong>Hextech Mayhem</strong>. Two more — <strong>Convergence</strong> and <strong>Song of Nunu</strong> — are on the way, along with a League of Legends fighting game, <a href="https://kotaku.com/heres-the-first-look-at-the-league-of-legends-fighting-1848099049" target="_blank" rel="noopener">currently codenamed <strong>Project L</strong></a>.</p><p>You can buy and download Ruined King on your PC <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1276790/Ruined_King_A_League_of_Legends_Story/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">from Steam</a> or <a href="https://www.epicgames.com/store/en-US/p/ruined-king-a-league-of-legends-story" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Epic Games Store</a>. You can also buy it on the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, or Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S from each system's respective app store.</p><div type="image" title="The Steam Store page for Ruined King: A League of Legends Story." height="1422" width="1928" msid="87933552" hostid="261"></div><p>You can buy and download Hextech Mayhem on your PC also <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1651960/Hextech_Mayhem_A_League_of_Legends_Story/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">from Steam</a> or <a href="https://www.epicgames.com/store/en-US/p/hextech-mayhem-a-league-of-legends-story" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Epic Games Store</a>. It's also available in the Nintendo Switch eShop, and is apparently coming soon to the Netflix mobile app.</p><p><strong>Quick tip:</strong> Riot Games also makes <a href="https://playvalorant.com/en-us/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Valorant</a>, a first-person shooter that mixes modern gunplay with League-style magic spells. It's completely separate from Riot's other games, but still free-to-play. Windows users can download it from <a href="https://playvalorant.com/en-us/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the official Valorant website</a>.</p>

How to download every League of Legends game, including Teamfight Tactics and Wild Rift

<ul><li>A total of 12 apps with Android banking trojans were discovered in the Google Play Store.</li><li>These apps are capable of stealing banking information and wiping out the victim’s bank account.</li><li>The apps were distributed in a span of four months and downloaded 300,000 times.</li></ul>Google has been improving Play Store’s security but there are still some malware infused apps that manage to sneak inside. Researchers have now discovered a total of 12 apps in the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/here-are-the-winners-of-google-plays-best-of-2021-in-india/articleshow/87997438.cms">Play Store</a> that were used to steal people’s bank account details, and these apps were downloaded 300,000 times.<br /><br />These apps were<a href="https://www.threatfabric.com/blogs/deceive-the-heavens-to-cross-the-sea.html"> posing</a> as QR code scanners, PDF scanners, and even cryptocurrency wallets, according to researchers at ThreatFabric. The apps belonged to four different <keyword id="1019130" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="android-malware" source="Orion">Android malware</keyword> versions, and were designed to steal people’s online banking passwords as well as two-factor authentication codes. The malware even captured keystrokes and could take screenshots of users’ phones. <br /><br />So how did the apps bypass Google’s security check? These apps were first distributed as a legitimate app with no malware and worked as they were advertised which made users think there’s nothing wrong here. The apps also had positive reviews in the Google Play Store which would make them look more legitimate. Users were then asked to install software updates from third-party sources for additional features. <br /><br />Through these updates, a very advanced <keyword id="8632255" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="android-banking-trojan" source="Orion">Android banking trojan</keyword> ‘Anatsa’ would be installed in the victims’ phones. This Android trojan is capable of giving hackers remote access to a victim’s phone and wiping out one’s bank account by transferring all the money to their account. In addition to Anatsa, these apps also had other Android malware including Alien, Hydra and Ermac. <br /><br />Among the kind of apps that these malware were injected into, the most popular were scanning apps, a crypto tracking app and workout apps. These apps with four large Android malware families were spread in a span of only four months, and were downloaded 300,000 times. <br /><br />ThreatFabric also highlighted how this is actually a small malicious footprint, and this is due to the new Google Play restrictions that puts limitations on app permissions such as Accessibility Service. This was one of the commonly used methods of installing malware on phones but hackers are now resorting to download updates after the app is installed. <br /><br /><strong>SEE ALSO:</strong><br /><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/here-are-the-winners-of-google-plays-best-of-2021-in-india/articleshow/87997438.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Google Play’s Best of 2021 India Awards: BGMI, Garena Free Fire MAX, Bitclass and Clubhouse top the ranks this year</a><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/valorant-mobile-gameplay-release-date-and-what-to-expect/articleshow/87974099.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Valorant Mobile: Gameplay, release date and what to expect</a><br />

Android apps that steal banking details were downloaded 300,000 times in just 4 months

<ul><li>India has banned 118 Chinese apps as border tension with China continue to flare up.</li><li>The third iteration of India's ban on Chinese mobile apps includes the Tencent's PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG).</li><li>It also banned other games by the Chinese developer including Ludo World, Arena of Valor and Chess Rush. </li></ul>As border tensions between India and China escalate, India’s Ministry of Information and Technology (MeitY) has issued a another list banning 118 Chinese mobile apps from the Indian market. This time it cover the Chinese game developing mammoth Tencent’s PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG), Ludo World, Arena of Valor and Chess Rush. <br /><br />This is the third time that the Indian government has issued a list that targets mobile apps made by Chinese companies. The first list came out on June 29 after the Galwan Valley skirmish, which left 20 Indian soldier dead and an undisclosed number of casualties on the Chinese side. This included the the popular short video streaming app TikTok, UC Browser, Xiaomi's Mi Community and 56 others.<br /><br />      <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="76696132" title="List of 59 Chinese apps banned in India by Indian government" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div><br />Another list of 47 Chinese apps was issued in July to ban programs that were trying to clone the apps banned in the first iteration.<br /><br />Many were left wondering why Tencent's hugely popular multiplayer battle area game, PUBG, was allowed to remain on the docket. Now, after the Pangong Tso Lake valley incursion, India's third ban on Chinese apps will not only remove PUBG from India also another 117 apps including Baidu, Alipay, WeChat Work and Area of Valor.<br /><br />      <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="77845766" title="India says the army 'thwarted' China's 'proactive military movement' to change status quo along Ladakh border" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div><br />As of May, PUBG had been downloaded 34.2 million time of which India accounted for 35.8% —  12.24 million installs, according to data provided by Sensor Tower. The concern for a lot of people isn't what the repercussions will be for Tencent specifically, but for the Indian gamers who make their living completing in PUBG tournaments.<br /><br /><strong>Here's a full list of the 118 Chinese mobile apps that India has banned in its third edition:</strong><br /><ol><li>APUS Launcher Pro- Theme, Live Wallpapers, Smart</li><li>APUS Launcher -Theme, Call Show, Wallpaper, HideApps</li><li>APUS Security -Antivirus, Phone security, Cleaner</li><li>APUS Turbo Cleaner 2020- Junk Cleaner, Anti-Virus</li><li>APUS Flashlight-Free &amp; Bright</li><li>Cut Cut – Cut Out &amp; Photo Background Editor</li><li>Baidu</li><li>Baidu Express Edition</li><li>FaceU - Inspire your Beauty</li><li>ShareSave by Xiaomi: Latest gadgets, amazing deals</li><li>CamCard - Business Card Reader</li><li>CamCard Business</li><li>CamCard for Salesforce</li><li>CamOCR</li><li>InNote</li><li>VooV Meeting - Tencent Video Conferencing</li><li>Super Clean - Master of Cleaner, Phone Booster</li><li>WeChat reading</li><li>Government WeChat</li><li>Small Q brush</li><li>Tencent Weiyun</li><li>Pitu</li><li>WeChat Work</li><li>Cyber Hunter</li><li>Cyber Hunter Lite</li><li>Knives Out-No rules, just fight!</li><li>Super Mecha Champions</li><li>LifeAfter</li><li>Dawn of Isles</li><li>Ludo World-Ludo Superstar</li><li>Chess Rush</li><li>PUBG MOBILE Nordic Map: Livik</li><li>PUBG MOBILE LITE</li><li>Rise of Kingdoms: Lost Crusade</li><li>Art of Conquest: Dark Horizon</li><li>Dank Tanks</li><li>Warpath</li><li>Game of Sultans</li><li>Gallery Vault - Hide Pictures And Videos</li><li>Smart AppLock (App Protect)</li><li>Message Lock (SMS Lock)-Gallery Vault Developer Team</li><li>Hide App-Hide Application Icon</li><li>AppLock</li><li>AppLock Lite</li><li>Dual Space - Multiple Accounts &amp; App Cloner</li><li>ZAKZAK Pro - Live chat &amp; video chat online</li><li>ZAKZAK LIVE: live-streaming &amp; video chat app</li><li>Music - Mp3 Player</li><li>Music Player - Audio Player &amp; 10 Bands Equalizer</li><li>HD Camera Selfie Beauty Camera</li><li>Cleaner - Phone Booster</li><li>Web Browser &amp; Fast Explorer</li><li>Video Player All Format for Android</li><li>Photo Gallery HD &amp; Editor</li><li>Photo Gallery &amp; Album</li><li>Music Player - Bass Booster - Free Download</li><li>HD Camera - Beauty Cam with Filters &amp; Panorama</li><li>HD Camera Pro &amp; Selfie Camera</li><li>Music Player - MP3 Player &amp; 10 Bands Equalizer</li><li>Gallery HD</li><li>Web Browser - Fast, Privacy &amp; Light Web Explorer</li><li>Web Browser - Secure Explorer</li><li>Music player - Audio Player</li><li>Video Player - All Format HD Video Player</li><li>Lamour Love All Over The World</li><li>Amour- video chat &amp; call all over the world.</li><li>MV Master - Make Your Status Video &amp; Community</li><li>MV Master - Best Video Maker &amp; Photo Video Editor</li><li>APUS Message Center-Intelligent management</li><li>LivU Meet new people &amp; Video chat with strangers</li><li>Carrom Friends : Carrom Board &amp; Pool Game-</li><li>Ludo All Star- Play Online Ludo Game &amp; Board Games</li><li>Bike Racing : Moto Traffic Rider Bike Racing Games</li><li>Rangers Of Oblivion : Online Action MMO RPG Game</li><li>Z Camera - Photo Editor, Beauty Selfie, Collage</li><li>GO SMS Pro - Messenger, Free Themes, Emoji</li><li>U-Dictionary: Oxford Dictionary Free Now Translate</li><li>Ulike - Define your selfie in trendy style</li><li>Tantan - Date For Real</li><li>MICO Chat: New Friends Banaen aur Live Chat karen</li><li>Kitty Live - Live Streaming &amp; Video Live Chat</li><li>Malay Social Dating App to Date &amp; Meet Singles</li><li>Alipay</li><li>AlipayHK</li><li>Mobile Taobao</li><li>Youku</li><li>Road of Kings- Endless Glory</li><li>Sina News</li><li>Netease News</li><li>Penguin FM</li><li>Murderous Pursuits</li><li>Tencent Watchlist (Tencent Technology</li><li>Learn Chinese AI-Super Chinese</li><li>HUYA LIVE – Game Live Stream</li><li>Little Q Album</li><li>Fighting Landlords - Free and happy Fighting Landlords</li><li>Hi Meitu</li><li>Mobile Legends: Pocket</li><li>VPN for TikTok</li><li>VPN for TikTok</li><li>Penguin E-sports Live assistant</li><li>Buy Cars-offer everything you need, special offers and low prices</li><li>iPick</li><li>Beauty Camera Plus - Sweet Camera &amp; Face Selfie</li><li>Parallel Space Lite - Dual App</li><li>"Chief Almighty: First Thunder BC</li><li>MARVEL Super War NetEase Games</li><li>AFK Arena</li><li>Creative Destruction NetEase Games</li><li>Crusaders of Light NetEase Games</li><li>Mafia City Yotta Games</li><li>Onmyoji NetEase Games</li><li>Ride Out Heroes NetEase Games</li><li>Yimeng Jianghu-Chu Liuxiang has been fully upgraded</li><li>Legend: Rising Empire NetEase Games</li><li>Arena of Valor: 5v5 Arena Games</li><li>Soul Hunters</li><li>Rules of Survival</li></ol><strong>SEE ALSO:<br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/enterprise/news/rise-in-work-from-anywhere-will-lead-to-more-outsourcing-thats-an-opportunity-for-tcs-infosys-and-hcl-tech/articleshow/77864248.cms">TCS, Infosys and HCL Tech have the most to gain from post COVID wave of outsourcing</a><br /><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/pm-modi-twitter-account-hacked-heres-what-the-hacker-had-tweeted/articleshow/77902203.cms">Twitter account of PM Modi's personal website hacked — asks followers for Bitcoin donations</a><br /><br /></strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/india-bans-pubg-wechat-and-118-other-mobile-applications/articleshow/77890776.cms"><strong>India bans PUBG, Ludo World, and 116 other Chinese mobile applications</strong></a>

India bans PUBG, Ludo World, and 116 other Chinese mobile applications

<br /><ul><li>The company behind the Chinese app PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (<keyword id="4998506" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="pubg">PUBG</keyword>) Mobile, Tencent, is trading in the red for a second straight day after the Indian government banned the battle royale game. </li><li>Its market value has plummeted by nearly $34 billion over the last two days with Tencent's share price falling by 2% yesterday and is over 3% in the red so far today.</li><li>The company said that they will engage with the Indian authorities to ensure the continued availability of their apps in India.</li></ul>The Chinese technology mammoth Tencent has lost nearly $34 billion (HK$ 261.05) of its market value over the last two days after news of its signature battle royale game PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) Mobile being banned by the Indian government. <br /><br />      <div type="image" title="Tencent share price" msid="77924984" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Tecent&amp;#39;s share price over the last week&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div><br /><br />This is the second biggest dip in Tencent’s valuation since <a href="https://www.livemint.com/market/stock-market-news/tencent-shares-2-day-loss-on-trump-s-wechat-ban-66-billion-11597058969479.html">Bloomberg</a> reported that the company lost $66 billion last month when the US President Donald Trump banned WeChat.<br /><br />“Tencent takes the protection of user privacy and data seriously. Our apps have always remained in compliance with applicable data protection laws in India and all other markets where we operate. We look forward to engaging Indian authorities to clarify our long-established policy and action in protecting user data, and hope to ensure the continued availability of our apps in India,” the company said in an emailed statement to Business Insider India.<br /><br />In addition to PUBG Mobile, other Tencent mobile apps like Chess Run, Arena of Valor and Ludo World have also been banned in India. <br /><br /><strong>Tencent's PUBG influence on India</strong><br />When PUBG Mobile first launched in 2018 for Indian users, it took the country by storm. Not just in terms of people rushing to download the game, but there were telltale signs of the culture itself all round — from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynVWWMwPqUs">PUBG-themed restaurants</a> to the game’s signature level-three helmet sold at thrift shops.<br /><br />Most gamers were relieved when the game’s name was absent in the first list of banned apps that India <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/checkout-the-name-of-the-chinese-banned-apps-in-india/articleshow/76696132.cms">released on June 29</a>. This was after the Galwan Valley border skirmish with China, where 20 Indian soldiers lost their lives, and there was an undisclosed number of casualties on the Chinese side. <br /><br />However, come September, another face-off between Indian and Chinese troops — this time along the southern banks of Pangong Tso Lake — led to the release of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/india-bans-pubg-wechat-and-118-other-mobile-applications/articleshow/77890776.cms">another list</a>. One that included not just PUBG Mobile, but its sister-apps like <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/checkout-full-list-of-118-banned-chinese-mobile-apps-in-india/articleshow/77891192.cms">PUBG Mobile Lite and PUBG Mobile Nordic Map: Livik</a>.<br /><br />Not only has this left professional gamers and streamers <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/professional-pubg-gamers-left-in-the-lurch-as-indian-government-bans-tencents-iconic-battle-royale-game/articleshow/77905215.cms">in the lurch</a>, with the source of their livelihood suddenly disappearing, but it’s also hurting Tencent’s share price. <br /><br /><strong>India makes up one-fourth of PUBG’s user base<br /></strong>Tencent first set its eyes on India in 2017 when it pumped in <a href="https://www.livemint.com/Companies/lQToylXzcrYd4MgLBGlplK/Tencents-billiondollar-India-bet.html">$700 million</a> into India’s most valuable Internet at the time — Flipkart — and another $1.1 billion into the cab-hailing service Ola. Already leading in China, the technology behemoth was looking at India’s market to provide the growth it needed to keep up valuations.<br /><br />One year down the line, after a soft launch in China, it released PUBG to the rest of the world. Come 2020, gamers in India account for nearly a quarter of its downloads — ahead of even China, according to data by <a href="https://sensortower.com/blog/pubg-mobile-revenue-three-billion">Sensor Tower.</a><br /><br /><table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; width: 468pt; table-layout: fixed;"><colgroup></colgroup><col /><col /><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Country<br /><br /></td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">PUBG Downloads<br /><br /></td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">India<br /><br /></td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">24%<br /><br /></td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">China<br /><br /></td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">16.7%<br /><br /></td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">US<br /><br /></td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">6.4%<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Tencent even launched PUBG Lite in India to expand its user base further. The aim behind the toned-down version of the original game was to bring more gamers online who may not necessarily own high-end phones. The ‘lite’ version was also to overcome any connectivity issues for gamers who live in areas that face network issues. <br /><br />But when it comes to revenue, Indian mobile application users aren’t known to be big spenders. Despite making up PUBG’s largest user base, spending is less than 5%.<br /><br /><table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; width: 468pt; table-layout: fixed;"><colgroup></colgroup><col /><col /><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Country<br /><br /></td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Revenue from PUBG (lifetime spending)<br /><br /></td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">China<br /><br /></td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">52%<br /><br /></td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">US<br /><br /></td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">14%<br /><br /></td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Japan<br /><br /></td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">5.6%<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />This isn’t the first time that PUBG has faced backlash in India. The game has been mired in controversies - been accused of being too violent, addictive, and a persistent source of distraction for students - which almost led to the game being<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/india-tried-to-ban-pubg-mobile-many-times-but-games-are-technically-difficult-to-ban-say-experts/articleshow/73580404.cms"> banned several times</a>.<br /><br />As of September 4, the game is still working on phones that already have it installed and is also available for download in the Google Play Store. However, as with the first list of apps, the game will likely be taken off the shelves, and Indian IP addresses will be blocked. <br /><br />The silver lining is that for those who have the means, they can still play PUBG on a computer, even though they will have to learn a whole new set of controls. <br /><br /><strong>SEE ALSO:<br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/defense/news/india-says-border-situation-is-a-direct-result-of-chinese-actions-as-it-repositions-troops-in-ladakh/articleshow/77913259.cms">India says border situation is a ‘direct result’ of Chinese actions as it repositions troops in Ladakh</a><br /><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/india-bans-pubg-wechat-and-118-other-mobile-applications/articleshow/77890776.cms">India bans PUBG, Ludo World, and 116 other Chinese mobile applications</a><br /><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/banks/news/interim-relief-from-supreme-court-on-loan-moratorium-says-banks-must-not-declare-accounts-as-npas-for-two-months/articleshow/77910763.cms">Interim relief from Supreme Court on loan moratorium — says banks must not declare accounts as NPAs for two months</a></strong><br />

Tencent loses nearly $34 billion since the PUBG Mobile ban in India — its second-largest valuation dip this year

<ul><li>The Indian Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) issued a third list of Chinese apps that will be banned in India. </li><li>This time the full list of banned Chinese mobile apps in 118 items long and includes the popular multiplayer battle arena game, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG).</li><li>Here's the full list of the 118 Chinese mobile apps that India banned today.</li></ul><br /><div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="79389245" title="India bans another 43 Chinese apps as border tensions along LAC continue to simmer" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div><br />India has banned another 118 Chinese mobile apps from the country as tensions along the border with China continue to simmer. On the night of August 30, the Indian Army claims that the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) tried to unilaterally change the status quo along the southern banks of Pangong Tso Lake — an attempt which was 'thwarted'.China, on the other hand claims that India troops crossed over the Line of Actual Control (LAC).      <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="77890776" title="India bans PUBG, WeChat Work, and 116 other Chinese mobile applications" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div><br /><strong>Here's a full list of the 118 Chinese mobile apps that India has banned in its third edition:</strong><br /><ol><li>APUS Launcher Pro- Theme, Live Wallpapers, Smart</li><li>APUS Launcher -Theme, Call Show, Wallpaper, HideApps</li><li>APUS Security -Antivirus, Phone security, Cleaner</li><li>APUS Turbo Cleaner 2020- Junk Cleaner, Anti-Virus</li><li>APUS Flashlight-Free &amp; Bright</li><li>Cut Cut – Cut Out &amp; Photo Background Editor</li><li>Baidu</li><li>Baidu Express Edition</li><li>FaceU - Inspire your Beauty</li><li>ShareSave by Xiaomi: Latest gadgets, amazing deals</li><li>CamCard - Business Card Reader</li><li>CamCard Business</li><li>CamCard for Salesforce</li><li>CamOCR</li><li>InNote</li><li>VooV Meeting - Tencent Video Conferencing</li><li>Super Clean - Master of Cleaner, Phone Booster</li><li>WeChat reading</li><li>Government WeChat</li><li>Small Q brush</li><li>Tencent Weiyun</li><li>Pitu</li><li>WeChat Work</li><li>Cyber Hunter</li><li>Cyber Hunter Lite</li><li>Knives Out-No rules, just fight!</li><li>Super Mecha Champions</li><li>LifeAfter</li><li>Dawn of Isles</li><li>Ludo World-Ludo Superstar</li><li>Chess Rush</li><li>PUBG MOBILE Nordic Map: Livik</li><li>PUBG MOBILE LITE</li><li>Rise of Kingdoms: Lost Crusade</li><li>Art of Conquest: Dark Horizon</li><li>Dank Tanks</li><li>Warpath</li><li>Game of Sultans</li><li>Gallery Vault - Hide Pictures And Videos</li><li>Smart AppLock (App Protect)</li><li>Message Lock (SMS Lock)-Gallery Vault Developer Team</li><li>Hide App-Hide Application Icon</li><li>AppLock</li><li>AppLock Lite</li><li>Dual Space - Multiple Accounts &amp; App Cloner</li><li>ZAKZAK Pro - Live chat &amp; video chat online</li><li>ZAKZAK LIVE: live-streaming &amp; video chat app</li><li>Music - Mp3 Player</li><li>Music Player - Audio Player &amp; 10 Bands Equalizer</li><li>HD Camera Selfie Beauty Camera</li><li>Cleaner - Phone Booster</li><li>Web Browser &amp; Fast Explorer</li><li>Video Player All Format for Android</li><li>Photo Gallery HD &amp; Editor</li><li>Photo Gallery &amp; Album</li><li>Music Player - Bass Booster - Free Download</li><li>HD Camera - Beauty Cam with Filters &amp; Panorama</li><li>HD Camera Pro &amp; Selfie Camera</li><li>Music Player - MP3 Player &amp; 10 Bands Equalizer</li><li>Gallery HD</li><li>Web Browser - Fast, Privacy &amp; Light Web Explorer</li><li>Web Browser - Secure Explorer</li><li>Music player - Audio Player</li><li>Video Player - All Format HD Video Player</li><li>Lamour Love All Over The World</li><li>Amour- video chat &amp; call all over the world.</li><li>MV Master - Make Your Status Video &amp; Community</li><li>MV Master - Best Video Maker &amp; Photo Video Editor</li><li>APUS Message Center-Intelligent management</li><li>LivU Meet new people &amp; Video chat with strangers</li><li>Carrom Friends : Carrom Board &amp; Pool Game-</li><li>Ludo All Star- Play Online Ludo Game &amp; Board Games</li><li>Bike Racing : Moto Traffic Rider Bike Racing Games</li><li>Rangers Of Oblivion : Online Action MMO RPG Game</li><li>Z Camera - Photo Editor, Beauty Selfie, Collage</li><li>GO SMS Pro - Messenger, Free Themes, Emoji</li><li>U-Dictionary: Oxford Dictionary Free Now Translate</li><li>Ulike - Define your selfie in trendy style</li><li>Tantan - Date For Real</li><li>MICO Chat: New Friends Banaen aur Live Chat karen</li><li>Kitty Live - Live Streaming &amp; Video Live Chat</li><li>Malay Social Dating App to Date &amp; Meet Singles</li><li>Alipay</li><li>AlipayHK</li><li>Mobile Taobao</li><li>Youku</li><li>Road of Kings- Endless Glory</li><li>Sina News</li><li>Netease News</li><li>Penguin FM</li><li>Murderous Pursuits</li><li>Tencent Watchlist (Tencent Technology</li><li>Learn Chinese AI-Super Chinese</li><li>HUYA LIVE – Game Live Stream</li><li>Little Q Album</li><li>Fighting Landlords - Free and happy Fighting Landlords</li><li>Hi Meitu</li><li>Mobile Legends: Pocket</li><li>VPN for TikTok</li><li>VPN for TikTok</li><li>Penguin E-sports Live assistant</li><li>Buy Cars-offer everything you need, special offers and low prices</li><li>iPick</li><li>Beauty Camera Plus - Sweet Camera &amp; Face Selfie</li><li>Parallel Space Lite - Dual App</li><li>"Chief Almighty: First Thunder BC</li><li>MARVEL Super War NetEase Games</li><li>AFK Arena</li><li>Creative Destruction NetEase Games</li><li>Crusaders of Light NetEase Games</li><li>Mafia City Yotta Games</li><li>Onmyoji NetEase Games</li><li>Ride Out Heroes NetEase Games</li><li>Yimeng Jianghu-Chu Liuxiang has been fully upgraded</li><li>Legend: Rising Empire NetEase Games</li><li>Arena of Valor: 5v5 Arena Games</li><li>Soul Hunters</li><li>Rules of Survival</li></ol><br />

Checkout the full list of 118 Chinese apps banned in India today

<ul><li>India has banned 177 Chinese mobile apps since June, including key games such as PUBG Mobile, Mobile Legends, Chess Rush, Rise of Kingdoms.</li><li>The banning of Chinese <keyword id="1319826" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="gaming-apps">gaming Apps</keyword> have opened doors for Indian Gaming platforms.</li><li>We speak to a few Indian gaming companies and experts to find out how Indian Gaming apps benefitted from the ban on Chinese apps so far. </li></ul>India’s ban on another 118 Chinese apps in September, including popular games such as PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG), Ludo World, Dank Tanks, Ludo All Stars, Arena of Valor, Carrom Friends, Mobile Legends, Rise of Kingdom, Chess Rush opened up room for home-grown gaming apps to rise in the ranks. <br /><br />While only three games were banned in June, the second batch in September put a ban on 35 games. According to Pokkt, the apps that have been banned were contributing about 5% to the total revenue in mobile gaming and about 40-50 % tournaments were happening through PUBG.<br /><br />After the ban on TikTok, we saw many replicas like Instagram Reels, Mitron, Chingari, Bolo Indiya, Roposo, crop up. It opened up an opportunity for Indian video apps to come to the forefront and they have seen millions of downloads in the past month. Did the ban on Chinese Games have a similar effect on the <keyword id="739806" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Gaming-industry">Gaming industry</keyword>? We speak to experts and home-grown apps to find out if Indian games have what it takes to fill up the void and crop up as a perfect alternative. <br /><br />Here is what they had to say:<br /><br /><strong>Rajan Navani, Vice Chairman &amp; Managing Director, JetSynthesys:</strong><br /><br />The ban on Chinese apps has benefitted many of our platforms, however, the growth we can attribute to this reason alone in the last few weeks is hard to allocate. It would be under 10% on an overall basis. Larger growth has been due to people staying indoors during the lockdown. We do see the surge sustained. We have a lot of promotions and loyalty initiatives within our digital products to retain our consumers even if new opportunities or other older products come back into the market. JetSynthesys Inc is our platform for global growth and we would like to see our international base growing at least 100% in the next year.<br /><br /><strong>Shivanandan Pare, CEO Adda52Rummy:<br /></strong><br />The banning of Chinese gaming Apps have opened doors for Indian Gaming platforms. We should see a lot of local players leveraging the opportunity and coming up with new games with local flavour. As far as Rummy is concerned, it is a highly local card game and truly Indian, family card game mostly played in India and amongst Indian Families. So that we never faced any competition from chinese players. <br /><br />The shift due to such events, usually are secular and are sustainable based on user experience in respective platforms. We are very confident that consumers who experience our platform will stay back.<br /><br />We are looking at creating an experience which is immersive and engaging. Over the next 12 months the idea is to give users an extremely differentiated online rummy playing experience.<br /><br /><strong>Vaibhav Odhekar, Co-Founder &amp; COO of POKKT:<br /></strong><br />While it's too early to talk numbers, it is a golden opportunity for local developers to explore. Obviously you can’t build a game now, so only if someone was in an advanced stage of development or had a ready product, would seek to maximise most. However, I also feel there are options of other global games like freefire. So Indian developers need to focus on quality because competition is still global.<br /><br />The growth will sustain but the most important factor is quality. So the ban is helping in creating trials / giving developers an opportunity. However if the game is not good or cannot develop traction, the it's a big opportunity lost.<br /><br />In the casual/mass gaming segment, Chinese apps hardly occupied any space. In the esports genre, pretty significant. I might say almost 40 - 50 % tournaments were happening via PubG.<br /><br /><strong>Abhishek Madhavan, SVP, Growth and Marketing, MPL: </strong><br /><br />We have collaborated with over 28 Indian game developers and studios and published their games on the MPL platform. These games are loved by our users and are fun to play and very well made. There is no dearth of skill and talent among the Indian game development community and we hope to play our part in showcasing their games to the world.<br /><br /><strong>Anirudh Pandita, Founder, Pocket Aces: </strong><br /><br />Loco has witnessed a 6x growth in DAUs during the last two months. The viewership increase has been driven by a growth in the number of active streamers on the platform, including India’s top streamers, who are now actively streaming on Loco. Our monthly active streamers have increased by 122% month on month during the last three months and continues to accelerate at a breakneck pace. In fact, we've also seen over 1,000+ hours of live gaming content being streamed per day and this expected to grow in the coming months as well. We are more determined than ever to empower the gaming community and the growing ecosystem which comprises over 300 million gamers currently.<br /><br />The <keyword id="739604" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-gaming-industry">Indian gaming industry</keyword> has been seeing rapid growth with users from across the country taking to esports and mobile gaming in a big way. We have seen talented gamers showcase their skills through games such as Call of Duty, Free Fire and more, including PUBG. Having said that, we are confident that the recent ban on PUBG Mobile has been made by the Government after much deliberation and with good reason. We see it as a stimulus for the Indian gaming community to look within, and develop new means of showcasing their talents. We are a strong gaming community, and I am certain that we will rise to the challenges, and come out strong, with opportunities for the world to leverage.<br /><br />At Loco, we are more determined than ever to serve the Indian gaming community. We stand by our streamers and are working hand in hand with them to chart out a new course for gaming content. Our platform empowers users to stream games and showcase their talent in India. Being a 100% Made in India platforms, Loco will amplify its efforts towards making India a global gaming superpower. <br />

How have Indian Gaming apps benefitted from the ban on Chinese apps so far

<ul><li>Brands like RSVP, OPPO, Mountain Dew and RedBull have associated with PUBG in the past. </li><li>PUBG was known to offer high-reach and consumer engagement, two powerful baits for brands. </li><li>Experts answer how brands that invested in PUBG will adapt to the current situation and where they will move their marketing monnies.</li></ul>It has been two days since the government banned Tencent’s signature battle royale game PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) and app clones like PABJE, FAU-G and Pixel’s Unknown Battleground have already started sprouting up on Play Store. <br /><br />Due to the ban, Chinese tech giant Tencent has lost nearly $34 billion (HK$ 261.05) of its market value over the last two days. PUBG was downloaded 34.2 million times until May 2020 of which India accounted for 35.8% — 12.24 million installs, according to data provided by Sensor Tower. <br /><br />PUBG’s ban has not only left gamers in the lurch, it also left a void for brands that invested on in-app ads, event organisers, and influencers who were using PUBG and game streaming to earn a livelihood. <br /><br />The game also attracted advertisers ranging from handset makers to beverage companies. Brands that catered to the young audiences like OPPO, Mountain Dew, RedBull, etc have associated with PUBG in the past. It offered them engagement and high reach.<br /><br />One of the prominent brand partnerships that PUBG saw was with Ronnie Screwvala Productions’ (RSVP) action drama ‘URI: The Surgical Strike.’ Gamers were given an opportunity to launch a surgical strike on Pochinki, one of the most popular towns in the game’s map. <br /><br />While PUBG enthusiasts did not notice the advertisements on the app, it did have some incentive-led ads like ‘watch this ad to earn a scrap coupon’, collect 10 coins and build crates to buy in-game items.<br /><br />Gaming was considered a niche-category for a long time in the advertising industry. However, in 2019, of the $22.6 billion spent on mobile apps in Q2 2019, $16.95 billion was spent on mobile games and Indians were the largest market for mobile games, according to App Annie. <br /><br />So we reached out to a few industry experts to understand what kind of dent will the ban create in the advertising and marketing industry, how brands will reshuffle their monnies and find an alternative that offers the same amount of reach and user base. <br /><br />Explaining how brands will try to find alternatives that offer the same reach, Vaibhav Odhekar – Co-Founder and COO of POKKT Mobile Ads, said, “In the gaming space, all the brands were largely involved in “audience buying” and not site buying (like Candy Crush). So as long as there are players and audiences actively involved in gaming, brands will continue to be happy. POKKT has a gaming audience base of over 252mn+ users in India alone, so we believe that there is a massive reach present in terms of gaming content, advertising opportunities and the effectiveness for brands. Now brands will look at tweaking their targeting strategy to try and capture a larger set of apps, or else surgically approach the top competitors of the likes of PUBG and other banned apps to ensure cumulative audience reach.” <br /><br />Odhekar also pointed out that the majority of Indian gamers play casual games and that is where the maximum advertising is happening. Currently, top 10 apps on Google Play Store are Casual Games. <br /><br />      <div type="image" title="top games" msid="77932529" hostid="261"></div><br />On what led to <keyword id="739806" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Gaming-industry">Gaming industry</keyword>’s boom, Odhekar added, “Gaming became really big in the first place due to casual gaming, which means most Indian users are playing (and engaging with ads on) games like Candy Crush, Temple Run, Subway Surfer, Ludo, Carrom. And this entire segment is untouched via Chinese app influence.” <br /><br />Brands that did associate with PUBG, did that for its captive audience and large user base.<br /><br />Abhinay Bhasin, Vice President (South Asia), Data Sciences, Dentsu Aegis Network said, “Chinese apps presented advertisers with a unique avenue to reach out to captive audiences offering a fairly large base that created a diversion of spends from platforms such as Facebook and Google onto unique ad formats that the Chinese apps offered. Estimates show that apps like TikTok had over 600 million downloads in India during its lifetime and Alibaba-owned UC Browser had a market share of over 10%. With the ban on these apps and services, brands will ultimately follow eyeballs and engaged audiences. The recent ban on TikTok for example seemed to be a boon for Instagram as they launched Reels in India. Similarly, the desi competitor to TikTok, Chingari, witnessed a record 1 crore+ download on the Google Play Store shortly after an initial ban on Chinese apps was announced. Brands in India have a multitude of sources to reach out to youth audiences such as via Gaming, OTT services, the aforementioned substitutes, etc. It’s far from the end of the world!”<br /><br />Rajan Navani, Vice Chairman &amp; Managing Director, JetSynthesys, and President of the Indian Digital Gaming Society said that most PUBG casual players will switch to other similar games in India so the impact should not be much and it only brought about 2% to overall gaming industry’s revenue. <br /><br />Navani said, “Impact on the overall gaming industry should not be over 2% if one were to include in-app and advertising revenue combined, in the immediate short-term. However, the professional PUBG esport players and other content creators around PUBG streaming will be severely impacted since they derive their livelihood from the game. At a time when the domestic mobile gaming industry is growing rapidly, PUBG’s ban provides an immense opportunity for other international and domestic gaming companies to grow their market share.”<br /><br />According to Manesh Swamy, VP- Creative, Logicserve Digital, PUBG’s ban will not hamper brands’ way of finding ways to reach out to consumers. However, they will now be cautious to associate with any kind of Chinese brand. <br /><br />“As a marketer and advertiser, I feel it won’t affect the industry at large, as we always find ways to meet our clients' marketing challenges and goals. Also, taking into consideration the current reservation against Chinese products and services, even brands would be cautious and not want to associate themselves with these platforms to carry out any marketing activities. I am sure they do not wish to hamper their consumer's loyalty,” said Swamy. <br /><br />With the pandemic-infused lockdown, consumers had to find ways of entertaining themselves within the four walls of their house. As a result, gaming apps saw a spike in users and brands started realising the potential of this industry. <br /><br />Sanjay Mehta, Joint CEO of Mirum India described the foreseeable situation in one word - ‘adapt.’ He said brands and agencies will adapt and find alternatives. <br /><br />Mehta said, “The most impacted sector/brand because of the ban is the brand/app PubG itself and most importantly their Pro-Players, who literally earned from it. India contributed almost 1/4th of the user and being a MOG (Multiplayer Online Game) it majorly ran on a Freemium model. Means their biggest revenue generator was In-game-purchase. Gaming has been one of the biggest contributors for AdEx in India during this COVID period. So gaming is here to stay, and brands have a plethora of games to advertise on. Like Video, casual gaming is also on a high and thankfully Brands have enough options.”<br /><br /><strong>Ban on 116 Chinese apps and its impact on AdEx<br /></strong><br />PUBG offered brands an opportunity to place in-app advertisements, explore content marketing associations and organise group events around it. So with its ban, what kind of impact will it have on Advertising Expenditure this year? <br /><br />With PUBG, the government also ordered a ban on another 116 apps like Ludo World, Arena of Valor, Chess Rush. The first list came out on June 29 after the Galwan Valley skirmish, which left 20 Indian soldiers dead and an undisclosed number of casualties on the Chinese side. This included the popular short video streaming app TikTok, UC Browser, Xiaomi's Mi Community and 56 others. So how will the ban on all Chinese apps in India impact overall AdEx?<br /><br />Bhasin said Chinese companies contribute around 4-5% to overall Indian Advertising Revenue. <br /><br />He said, “The ban on Chinese apps will certainly have a significant impact on influencer associations that were picking up steam on TikTok or even through gaming influencers and contests. These spends will now have to be realigned to other alternatives. Moreover, the ban on apps is most likely to have a ripple effect onto other investments into AdEx in India by Chinese companies that contribute to roughly 4-5% of the overall Indian advertising economy.” <br /><br />Swamy and Mehta, on the other hand, said the impact will be minimal. <br /><br />“I don’t feel that the ban would affect the overall Ad Expenditure as brands would redirect their strategies to fit in the best manner possible,” said Swamy. <br /><br /><strong>Conclusion</strong><br /><br />Brands and agencies adapted to COVID, they adapted to the TikTok ban and now, they are gearing up to adapt to PUBG’s ban, too.<br />

Will PUBG’s ban have a ripple effect on in-game brand partnerships and AdEx?

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/57d858c5b0ef9737018b56b7-1081/nick johnson make pokemon great again.png" alt="nick johnson make pokemon great again" data-mce-source="Nick Johnson" /><p class="source"><span>Nick Johnson</span></p><p class="caption">Applico Head of Platform and Pokémon Go master Nick Johnson. Note the "Make Pokémon Great Again" hat.</p></div><p></p></div></div>Last week was a big week for Niantic Labs, the developer of Pokémon Go, as CEO John Hanke, took the stage at Apple's iPhone launch event.</p><p>There, Hanke announced that Pokémon Go <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/pokemon-go-is-coming-to-the-apple-watch-2016-9">will be coming to the Apple Watch (eventually)</a> and bragged that Pokémon Go had surpassed 500 million downloads, making it one of the most downloaded games <em>ever</em>.</p><p>Yet if you looked at the news surrounding the game the past few weeks, you wouldn't't know it. Video game industry analysts have found that <span>Pokémon Go has around 30 million daily active players, as of <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-08-22/these-charts-show-that-pokemon-go-is-already-in-decline">last count in late August</a>. That's still very good, but it's</span> <a href="http://bgr.com/2016/08/23/pokemon-go-daily-active-users/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&amp;q=http://bgr.com/2016/08/23/pokemon-go-daily-active-users/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1473803956060000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEyQgim4mRHdcQfjamHByRTZwd54Q">started to flag</a> lately after exploding when the app first launched.</p><p>And for many, the Pokémon Go fatigue is very real, as the initial joy of being able to play out your Pokémon-catching dreams in the real world has lost some of its luster and some of the updates have negatively affected the user experience.</p><p>That's true even for me. After I became the first person in the world to catch every Pokémon available in the game (yes, I really "<a href="https://www.applicoinc.com/blog/applicos-nick-johnson-first-player-catch-pokemon-us/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&amp;q=https://www.applicoinc.com/blog/applicos-nick-johnson-first-player-catch-pokemon-us/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1473803956060000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGArRpZDJArGhkIuX80ZW0oKtXdDA">caught 'em all</a>"), my time playing the game has steadily declined in recent weeks. And many other players I've talked to on Snapchat and Twitter feel similarly.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/57c8c15b09d293d10f8b5cd3-1540/nick johnson pikachu kohachu.png" alt="nick johnson pikachu kohachu pokemon go" data-mce-source="Nick Johnson" /><p class="source"><span>Nick Johnson</span></p><p class="caption">Johnson's travels to catch every Pokémon took him to Japan's Pikachu Festival.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Despite its early success, Pokémon Go still has some glaring holes it needs to address if it wants to sustain its early momentum.</p><p>For inspiration, Niantic, and other game-makers looking to emulate its success, should look to another social gaming platform that was in the news recently: Blizzard Entertainment's "World of Warcraft."</p><h2>World of <span>Pokémon </span></h2><p>World of Warcraft (or "WoW," as it's colloquially known) launched its sixth expansion at the beginning of this month. WoW, which is now approaching its 12<sup>th</sup> anniversary, was launched in November 2004, predating YouTube, Twitter, and the iPhone.</p><p>Back when WoW first launched, MySpace was still cool. Yet, unlike MySpace, the game is still going strong with millions of monthly subscribers - while the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/world-of-warcraft-lost-three-million-subscribers-in-three-months-2015-5">number has slid</a>, "World of Warcraft" <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/world-of-warcraft-still-has-over-7-million-players-2015-5">still had 7 million subscribers as of spring 2015</a> and retains a strong core of die-hard players.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/57c0891a09d2937a048b4b63-1600/warlords-of-draenor-ss0530-full.jpg" alt="world of warcraft" data-mce-source="Blizzard" /><p class="source"><span>Blizzard</span></p><p class="caption">World of Warcraft</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Like Pokémon Go, WoW built its initial success on the back of a franchise that appealed to multiple generations of gamers. But the biggest attraction for players is that there's so much to do in the game - and there are a lot of other people to do it with.</p><h2>Just the hits</h2><p>Gaming is a hit-based industry. Games come and go very quickly, especially in mobile. But almost all of the games that have enjoyed sustained success are essentially social gaming <a href="https://www.applicoinc.com/blog/what-is-a-platform-business-model/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&amp;q=https://www.applicoinc.com/blog/what-is-a-platform-business-model/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1473803956060000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGDfMO3fRn-NoQJw4HmKCinkQZw9w">platforms</a>. As with all good businesses, the most successful games are the ones that build lasting networks. At their core, these games aren't't just entertainment, but also ways for people to connect with and play alongside other people.</p><p>Pokémon Go has a long way to go. Although it has been a remarkable success in the way it has encouraged players to interact with each other in the real world, there's surprisingly no way for players to directly interact with each other within the game.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5637a185dd0895610a8b4602-1334/photo 27-10-2015, 2 30 29 p.m..png" alt="Clash of Clans" data-mce-source="Max Slater-Robins / BI" /><p class="source"><span>Max Slater-Robins / BI</span></p><p class="caption">Clash of Clans</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>The only player vs. player element in the game, Pokémon gyms, actually involves fighting AI controlled Pokémon rather than other players. A strong player vs. player component has been a hallmark of many successful games, from WoW and "Overwatch" to "Counter-Strike" and "League of Legends."</p><p>Additionally, Pokémon Go needs to add team play into the mix. The game already has the structure to do this in place, with players each choosing one of three teams (Valor, Mystic, or Instinct) for gym battles.</p><p>Successful mobile games such as "Clash of Clans," as well as more traditional games like "Minecraft," are built around the idea of working together with other players to accomplish bigger goals. This is another critical component missing in Pokémon Go.</p><h2>Lowered expectations</h2><p>The game's original concept trailer featured an epic battle where thousands of players <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/are-legendary-pokemon-in-pokemon-go-2016-7">worked together to capture the legendary Pokémon, Mewtwo</a>.</p><p>Yet nothing like that has made it's way into the app as of yet. Given the huge crowds the game has attracted already, you can imagine the excitement if Niantic were to release a major team-based event. But the clock is ticking, as many players are starting to lose interest.</p><p>Also, Pokémon Go is lacking the complex in-game economy that most social gaming platforms have.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5783cd0e4321f1e2008b73d4-1954/john hanke bridge.jpg" alt="niantic john hanke" data-mce-source="Niantic" data-mce-caption="Niantic CEO John Hanke" /><p class="source"><span>Niantic</span></p><p class="caption">Niantic CEO John Hanke</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Dating all the way back to "Everquest," a game that's survived since 1999, up to today's simple mobile games like "Hay Day," successful social games provide players the opportunity to specialize and trade with other players as way to maximize their time and money investments in the game.</p><p>Pokémon Go has hinted at introducing Pokémon trading, a hallmark of all of the original franchise's games, yet this addition could still be some way off.</p><h2>To be a master</h2><p>Finally, perhaps the biggest hole in Pokémon Go is that the game has neglected to capitalize on the huge world of Pokémon lore, stretching back through multiple games and multiple decades of the Pokémon TV show. The lack of any kind of story element in the game means that many people find that the initial experience gets stale after a few weeks.</p><p>Now, Niantic may be hampered by not having the rights to use some of this content, but it also could have done a lot more to weave the world of Pokémon into the real world landmarks and locations it takes players to on the map.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/57914dbfdd08951c618b4bbc-980/landscape-1468832182-ash-ketchum-pikachu.jpg" alt="ash ketchum pikachu" data-mce-source="Cartoon Network" data-mce-caption="Be the best there ever was." /><p class="source"><span>Cartoon Network</span></p><p class="caption">Be the best there ever was.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>To be fair, Niantic has hinted that some of these features are coming. It's already teased player vs. player battling and suggested that big things were coming for teams. But for a game that's been so successful, it's surprising how little there actually is to do within the game.</p><p>Here's hoping Niantic and other game makers looking to capitalize on the future of AR gaming learn from their predecessors before it's too late.</p><p><strong>Nicholas L. Johnson</strong> is Head of Platform at <a href="http://www.applicoinc.com">Applico</a>, where he oversees the company's research into how platforms work. In August, he became the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/pokemon-go-complete-worldwide-pokedex-2016-8">first </a><span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/pokemon-go-complete-worldwide-pokedex-2016-8">Pokémon Go player to successfully travel the world and capture all 145 monsters currently in the game</a>.</span></p>        <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/pokemon-themed-burgers-sydney-restaurant-pikachu-bulbasaur-charmander-2016-8">A restaurant's serving Pokemon burgers - but there's a twist when you buy one</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="oxcXJqNTE6lv0j7l5VY-lf0wbjekLbEC" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'oxcXJqNTE6lv0j7l5VY-lf0wbjekLbEC',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

You Searched For "valorant mobile download" and got 10 results

Riot Games’ Valorant is coming to mobile

Rounak Jain

How to download every League of Legends game, including Teamfight Tactics and Wild Rift

William Antonelli

Android apps that steal banking details were downloaded 300,000 times in just 4 months

Marcia Sekhose

India bans PUBG, Ludo World, and 116 other Chinese mobile applications

Prabhjote Gill

Tencent loses nearly $34 billion since the PUBG Mobile ban in India — its second-largest valuation dip this year

Prabhjote Gill

Checkout the full list of 118 Chinese apps banned in India today

Prabhjote Gill

How have Indian Gaming apps benefitted from the ban on Chinese apps so far

BI India Partner

Will PUBG’s ban have a ripple effect on in-game brand partnerships and AdEx?

Karuna Sharma

A plea to make Pokemon Go exciting again and save the game, from the first person to catch them all

Nick Johnson, Applico

The Making Of Tesla: Invention, Betrayal, And The Birth Of The Roadster

Drake Baer