PUBG developer, Tencent, introduced a Lite version of the game back in 2019. The new version was launched to help players run the battle royal on budget and midrange devices without demanding too many hardware resources.
After a bit over four years of its launch, the game has been shut down. The developers confirmed the news via an in-game message and a blog-post. The developers informed that the Lite version cannot be played after April 29.
The developer has already halted new downloads for the PC-based battle royal title, and the official website is effectively closed. Player support will end on May 29.
The reason behind the shut down wasn’t revealed but the studio already made the game entirely free-to-play back in November by removing the in-game L-coin currency already showing signs that the game was in trouble. Although the mobile counterpart of the game, PUBG Mobile Lite will survive and will be available to play.
The only reason possible behind the shutdown could likely be the lack of demand as even though there was a toned down version of the full game available, people instead chose to go with the standard version of the game.
On the official website the developers said, “We are deeply grateful for the passion and support from the astounding number of PUBG LITE fans that have been with us. During the strenuous times of the COVID-19 pandemic, we hope that PUBG LITE was able to provide our fans with a fun way to stay safe. Unfortunately, we have made the difficult decision to close service after much deliberation and the time has come for our journey to end. We regretfully inform you that service of PUBG LITE is scheduled to end on April 29th, 2021 (UTC)”.
Following is the official website where you can see the notice posted by the developers of PUBG:
https://lite.pubg.com/2021/03/30/notice-april-29-service-termination-notice/