Made in India PUBG rival, FAU-G listed on Google Play Store

The FAU-G mobile game has finally appeared on the Google Play Store. The game has not yet been released, but after several delays and changes in the release date, it is now placed in the Google Play Store for pre-registration. It appears that the developers are limiting themselves to Android, for the time being, to release the new mobile game, as the pre-registrations have yet to appear in the Apple App Store. The list also details the story a little more than the joke revealed. FAU-G, which is expected to compete with PUBG Mobile India, was announced just two days after PUBG was banned along with 117 other Chinese apps in September. But more than just an Indian alternative to PUBG, FAU-G is heavily promoted as a patriotic game that highlights the military's contribution.

FAU-G, short for Fearless and United Guards, is now available on the Google Play Store for pre-registration. Previously registered users will receive an automatic notification informing them that the game is available for download. The game will be downloaded and installed automatically on eligible devices. Download size and other version details is not disclosed. But the list does provide a summary of the story and the game.

As the teaser revealed, the game was expected to have a level simulating the Galwan Valley clashes between the Indian and Chinese armies along the line of Actual Control (LAC). But the game description now indicates that the entire game will focus on Indian soldiers "at the peaks of the northern borders of India". The characters will be called FAU-G Commando, which is an elite group of Indian soldiers who patrol the dangerous area.

FAU-G is being developed by Bengaluru based nCore Games, in collaboration with Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar. The first trailer was released on October 25. The game was reportedly due to launch in the same month, but it ran into a hurdle. The developers then announced a release in November that put it on a collision course with the highly-anticipated PUBG Mobile India, a slightly modified version of PUBG that was announced for the Indian market. Both matches will face delays for various reasons. Both have announced that their games will soon be released.

In an informal nod to the game likely to be on top, PUBG Mobile India's fan base far exceeds the fan base of FAU-G on Tap Tap, a popular mobile gaming community platform.

While PUBG Corporation hopes to reduce tensions between India and China to secure the necessary approvals for a comeback, FAU-G has relied on anti-Chinese sentiment since its first teaser. The joke appears to simulate the Galwan Valley skirmishes between India and China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) that claimed the lives of 20 Indian soldiers and caused an unknown number of Chinese casualties. He even appears to be using combat mechanics to more realistically portray the violent episode, the worst on the Indo-Chinese border since 1967, which has become a high point in relations between the two neighbors.

FAU-G also aims to harness the sentiment of “AtmaNirbhar Bharat” (Self-sufficient India), a phrase promoted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. nCore Games said 20% of the net proceeds from the game will be donated to “Bharat Ke Veer”, a trust established by the government for families of soldiers who die in the line of duty.

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