Snapshot of Game For Peace

May 8 (NBD) -- China's largest game publisher Tencent Wednesday shut down the test version of its hit title PUBG (PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds) Mobile after failing to gain regulatory approval for the blockbuster. 

On the same day, Tencent started the open beta of an anti-terrorism-themed game called Game For Peace, which was approved for distribution on April 9. The open beta is now available for download on Apple's App Store and Android app stores.

Branded as a "military skills shooting game", Game For Peace claims to have enlisted the help of China's air force to pay tribute to the blue sky warriors, and is now only available to people aged 16 or above.

Boosted by this, National Business Daily (NBD) noticed that Tencent shares once rose by 3.68 percent in the morning trading hours of Wednesday, achieving the biggest one-day gain in a month.

Game For Peace is believed to be an alternative to PUBG Mobile as they are almost the same in game play, user interface and graphic design. 

Some user found after logging on with their Tencent social software account that their data on PUBG Mobile has been transferred to the new game, reported media outlet 36Kr.

Tencent refuted it in an interview with NBD saying that "Game For Peace has nothing to do with PUBG Mobile and it is a new, independent product." 

PUBG Mobile was the most popular mobile game on the Google Play platform in 2018. In February this year, the hit game had the most monthly active users in China, with the number reaching 186 million, based on Questmobile's data.

The topic "PUBG Mobile is gone" on Wednesday soared to the top spot on Twitter-like Weibo with nearly 500 million views by press time.

"I feel like getting dumped by the game", bantered a Weibo user, "'Welcome to battlegrounds. Go get it, commando!' I may not hear this familiar voice anymore."

"I have been playing PUBG for 2 years, even before the mobile version came out," Walleva, a senior PUBG gamer told NBD. "I am willing to try any interesting game, whether it is charged or not. However, if Game For Peace is just an alternative of PUBG Mobile with a different name, I'll skip."

Different from PUBG Mobile, Game For Peace allows players to buy costumes or other premium services.

According to financial research firm Blue Lotus, users' spending on Game For Peace is conservatively estimated to be 1.5 billion yuan (221.9 million U.S. dollars) in the first month after its official launch. If the game can be made official in July, it might generate net profit of more than 2 billion yuan (295.9 million U.S. dollars) this year. 

Email: lansuying@nbd.com.cn