'Player Unknown's Battlegrounds' News: Tencent Bringing Battle Royale Game To Mobile In China
Chinese mega-conglomerate Tencent is planning to take "Player Unknown's Battlegrounds" to new heights in China as publisher is currently working with developer Bluehole to bring the game to mobile devices for the mainland China market.
According to a recent post by the company, development for the mobile version is "going smoothly" which suggests that Chinese players can expect the game to arrive on Android and iOS devices soon. The post did not mention if the mobile port will also be made available to players worldwide.
The decision shouldn't be all that surprising though given that the country is home to a large fraction of the game's player base. Currently, China accounts for 40 percent of game's PC players a number that could dramatically increase with the release of a mobile version.
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Tencent is currently battling with rival NetEast for control of the Chinese gaming market. NetEase's games "Terminator 2" and "Wilderness" currently hold the position as the first and third most downloaded mobile games in China at the moment so it's only natural that Tencent is looking gain an edge in whatever way possible.
Earlier this year, Tencent was bashed by China's state media for getting children hooked on violence after its fantasy role-playing game "Honour of Kings" boomed in popularity. The company was then forced to implement a curfew for underage players.
To avoid any further brushes with Chinese law, Tencent has announced that a number of changes will be introduced to "Player Unknown's Battlegrounds." According to the publisher, these alterations will allow the game to better align with "socialist core values" as well as "Chinese traditional culture and moral rules."
The company also stated that it would highlight the spirit of teamwork and fair competition in the game and ensure it delivers "healthy, positive cultural and value guidance, especially for underage users".
"Player Unknown's Battlegrounds" is currently available on the PC via Steam and is set to be release for the Xbox One on Dec. 12.
