PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) is banned in Jordan, the Middle Eastern Arab nation. The decision was made by the telecommunications regulator in the country. It claimed that the game induces “negative behaviour” on the population. According to the entity, a study indicated that PUBG can be harmful to people of all ages, and the measure was announced to address claims from citizens concerned about the spread of dangerous games.
Jordan joins a list of countries that have banned this Battle Royale game, which already includes Iraq, Nepal, China, and some states in India. Fortnite Battle Royale, another worldwide gaming phenomenon, is likely to be banned soon in the country as well, along with five other games. The Epic Games title has also been banned in China and Iraq.
PUBG – A Game For Peace
In China, Tencent, the company that owns the rights to PUBG, has found a loophole to prevent the game from being banned. The game was re-released with the name “Game for Peace” and received changes in gameplay that were accepted by authorities. For example, in this new game, players do not die, they simply fall to the ground and then stand up to wave to the opponent that downed them. In addition, there is no blood in the new version.
The difference between the Chinese case and that of Jordan is that the Arab country has a population of only nine million inhabitants. Normally, such a market would not be enough to generate a response from the producers or spur a new version for domestic consumption.
Who is the real culprit?
The reason for this is said to be that the World Health Organization (WHO) has rated the shooter as a violent game. But there is no evidence for this.
The WHO recently stated that online gambling is an official disease, but there was never any talk of PUBG glorifying violence. Maybe there is a misunderstanding on the part of authorities Jordan. Allegedly, a study has found that this game will not only addict, but also lead to social isolation and aggression in children. Which study is being referred to in these claims remains unclear.
No Problems for PUBG
The ban of PUBG is Jordan will not be a big issue for the developers. Users of personal computers and consoles have purchased 4.7 million copies of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds between May 2018 and May 2019. This was reported by the analytical agency SuperData Research. According to the service, PUBG has retained its position as one of the best-selling shooters on any platform, despite competition from Apex Legends and Fortnite.
In April 2019, the Gameindustry.biz portal reported that PUBG developers receive 86% of the revenue from PC customers. The company’s financial statement shows that for 2018, PUBG Corp. earned $920 million. The PC version brought in $790 million, while in second place was a mobile client with $65 million, and rounding out third was the console version, with $58 million.