Bollywood's Akshay Kumar to launch tactical mobile game after India's 'PUBG' ban

An Indian firm is set to launch a battle royale mobile video game in partnership with Bollywood star Akshay Kumar, capitalising on the void left by a ban on Chinese tech firm Tencent's popular PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG).

NCore Games, based in the southern Indian tech hub of Bengaluru, will launch its Fearless and United: Guards (FAU-G) game by the end of October, the company's co-founder Vishal Gondal told Reuters on Friday.

"This game was in the works for some months," Gondal said. "In fact, the first level of the game is based on Galwan Valley."

Clashes in June between Indian and Chinese troops along a disputed border site in Galwan Valley, high up in the Himalayas, left 20 Indian soldiers dead.

India has since hit Chinese tech firms, which dominate India's internet economy, with successive app bans. The latest such move on Wednesday outlawed 118 mostly Chinese-origin apps including PUBG, leaving Indian gamers shocked and angry.

NCore's FAU-G aims to tap into Indian patriotism and 20 per cent of its net revenues will be given to a state-backed trust that supports the families of soldiers who die on duty, Gondal said.

Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar, the son of an army officer, who is known to support the cause of Indian soldiers and was key in setting up the trust, also helped with the concept of the game, according to Gondal.

"He came up with the title of the game, FAU-G," Gondal said, adding that he expected to get 200 million users in a year.

The launch of FAU-G also comes at a time anti-Chinese sentiment is high in India with traders and entrepreneurs echoing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call for an "atma-nirbhar" or self-reliant India.

India's first app ban in June, which prohibited ByteDance-owned TikTok, led to a surge in the use of local video-sharing apps with even media company Zee Entertainment Enterprises launching its own app.

MATCH RESULT

Liverpool 4 Brighton and Hove Albion 0
Liverpool: Salah (26'), Lovren (40'), Solanke (53'), Robertson (85')

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Prop idols

Girls full-contact rugby may be in its infancy in the Middle East, but there are already a number of role models for players to look up to.

Sophie Shams (Dubai Exiles mini, England sevens international)

An Emirati student who is blazing a trail in rugby. She first learnt the game at Dubai Exiles and captained her JESS Primary school team. After going to study geophysics at university in the UK, she scored a sensational try in a cup final at Twickenham. She has played for England sevens, and is now contracted to top Premiership club Saracens.

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Seren Gough-Walters (Sharjah Wanderers mini, Wales rugby league international)

Few players anywhere will have taken a more circuitous route to playing rugby on Sky Sports. Gough-Walters was born in Al Wasl Hospital in Dubai, raised in Sharjah, did not take up rugby seriously till she was 15, has a master’s in global governance and ethics, and once worked as an immigration officer at the British Embassy in Abu Dhabi. In the summer of 2021 she played for Wales against England in rugby league, in a match that was broadcast live on TV.

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Erin King (Dubai Hurricanes mini, Ireland sevens international)

Aged five, Australia-born King went to Dubai Hurricanes training at The Sevens with her brothers. She immediately struck up a deep affection for rugby. She returned to the city at the end of last year to play at the Dubai Rugby Sevens in the colours of Ireland in the Women’s World Series tournament on Pitch 1.

MATCH INFO

Argentina 47 (Tries: Sanchez, Tuculet (2), Mallia (2), De La Fuente, Bertranou; Cons: Sanchez 5, Urdapilleta)

United States 17 (Tries: Scully (2), Lasike; Cons: MacGinty)

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Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026

1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years

If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.

2. E-invoicing in the UAE

Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.

3. More tax audits

Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.

4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime

Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.

5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit

There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.

6. Further transfer pricing enforcement

Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.

7. Limited time periods for audits

Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.

8. Pillar 2 implementation

Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.

9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services

Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.

10. Substance and CbC reporting focus

Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.

Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer