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PUBG Mobile got banned in India by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, along with 117 other Chinese apps, in September 2020. To date, there has been no official update about the exact (re)launch of the game, even though various positive and negative developments have been revolving around the gaming industry.
Soon after the ban, there was the announcement of a story mode game, FAU-G, or Fearless and United Guards, developed by nCORE Games, a company based out of Bengaluru. It was announced by Bollywood star Akshay Kumar and will this Republic Day, i.e., January 26th.
Sportskeeda's Ajay Assudani talked to prominent PUBG Mobile personalities, including players, content creators, coaches, team owners, and casters, about FAU-G's prospects and if it can match PUBG Mobile's popularity in India.
PUBG Mobile personalities talk about FAU-G
#1 - Sangwan (Professional PUBG Mobile player for Global Esports)
"I have heard that FAU-G is not a battle royale game but instead a story mode game, So I don't think we can even compare the two of them as PUBG Mobile's battle royale is competitive, but FAU-G might be a story game which will end as soon as the story finishes."
"I am excited to get my hands on it on January 26th as it is the first time a game by an Indian developer which is promoted to a good extent, which definitely will be worth it."
#2 - Snax (PUBG Mobile pro for Team IND)
"Everyone is waiting for the game to release. I am curious and excited about its graphics, story mode, shooting, and I want to have a look at these. PUBG Mobile is a battle royale game, so there is no link to compare FAU-G with it."
#3 - Ocean Sharma (Professional PUBG Mobile caster)
"PUBG Mobile was a full-fledged emotion when we talk about it because of the way it was building the community in its elemental sense."
"For FAUG, there probably will be some support, but talking about consistency and replacement is a whole other argument."
"It might be difficult at the start, but that also depends on how the audience takes it. People will try and play for sure. Rest depends on the audience interaction with the game and its elements."
#4 - Ketan K18 (Professional PUBG Mobile caster)
"Well, both games have different genres; FAU-G might have 1v1 or 5v5, but not battle royale. FAU-G is a story mode game which everyone might not like for the first time."
"I want to see how they make the 5v5 fights in competitive scene, so the players in the coming time can play it according to their liking. Each and everything is possible to be on the top if people connect to it."
"I don't think that it will be able to gain the same popularity as PUBG Mobile did, but I think the launch will be a good hype as it releases on Republic Day. It will be on top according to downloads; let's see how other streamers react and produce content based on it. But popularity-wise, I don't think that it will be able to beat PUBGM."
#5 - Maxtern (PUBG Mobile content creator)
"As far as I know, FAU-G is a story mode game, while PUBG Mobile is a battle royale one. The latter is at a different level, which can be seen via its fan following. FAU-G might not be able to beat PUBG Mobile. Still, it is a good time for the Indian gaming community, as now, Indian developers are also focusing on game development."
"It won't be fair on our part to judge the game in the initial stage. PUBG Mobile was also not that good during its starting phase, and the same might be the case with FAU-G. I hope the developers work hand in hand to bring as good a level of graphics and gameplay as the audience desires."
#6 - Blaezi (Professional PUBG Mobile player for Global Esports and content creator for Esports XO)
"FAU-G is a story mode game, and PUBG Mobile is a battle royale title. Story mode games stay in hype until the story ends. So I believe it will only be popular for a while."
"And yes, I believe it will be as popular as PUBG Mobile since the latter has a ban now, and even players are interested in knowing if India can make an alternative for it."
#7 - Sid (Team Manager at TSM Entity)
"I don't think so. It's a different genre and cannot directly be compared with PUBG Mobile. But I think it is unwise to say anything before the official release, as I don't know any specifics of the game."
#8 - Aurum (Professional coach for Fnatic PUBG Mobile)
"I can't comment on that at this point. I'd rather wait for the game to launch and then see the extent to which the masses like it. The game is based on our army and looks promising. I am definitely going to get my hands on it once it launches."
#9 - Rahul Hinduja: Founding Member & COO, Global Esports
"It's like comparing apples and oranges. They're not even the same genre of game. I'm glad the community has thought enough of FAU-G to rally behind it, but this is far from comparable to PUBG Mobile based on just a teaser."
"We haven't seen any functionality, don't even know if the game will be a battle royale, let alone an esports title. Before we can even compare the two, more details are required on the game. In fact, comparing them right now isn't just wrong, it's misleading."
#10 - Game X Pro (PUBG Mobile content creator)
"According to the game's teaser, I don't think it will give competition to PUBG Mobile. If we talk about graphics, then Free Fire is also behind PUBG Mobile, but it is far ahead in terms of popularity. The same can be the case with FAU-G, anything could happen, but I don't think it will."
#11 - Novaking (PUBG Mobile content creator & ex-competitive player)
"The developers have made the best use of the situation, and the hype can already be seen among the audience. The greater the promotion, the greater the expectations, but I don't think they will meet the raised bar. The game will be downloaded to as great an extent as PUBG Mobile was, but the main point is if they can maintain the same pace."
"As far as I think, people will finish the story of the game and later delete the app in a few days. If the game is multiplayer, it would have been better. It will excel at the start, for sure, as it has the most pre-registrations, I guess."
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