PUBG Mobile pulled a card called “Hand of the Almighty” from its game and issued a public apology after Muslim players flagged the item as religiously offensive and demanded its removal.
The item was part of the Card Collection System introduced in the Hero’s Crown update. Muslim players raised concerns across official PUBG Mobile Facebook pages, including the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and Philippines pages, as well as app store review sections, arguing that the name referenced one of the 99 names of Allah in Islam.
“Al-Jabbar,” which translates to “the Almighty” or “the Compeller,” carries deep religious and spiritual significance for Muslims around the world.
One message posted on the Arabic PUBG Mobile Facebook page read, “I am writing this message to respectfully express my concern regarding the name of the item ‘Hand of the Almighty’ (or any translated version referring to ‘Al-Jabbar’). As Muslim players, many of us feel uncomfortable with the usage of this name inside the game because ‘Al-Jabbar’ is one of the 99 Names of Allah in Islam and holds deep religious and spiritual significance for millions of Muslims around the world.”
Following the community backlash, PUBG Mobile issued a statement on Tuesday confirming the item’s removal.
“PUBG MOBILE would like to address the concerns over the name of an item that was recently updated to the game. We are deeply sorry to our players and appreciate the feedback we got from the community. We respect the values, traditions and practices of our players and regret the hurt and anguish that we’ve caused. We have removed this item immediately from the game,” the statement read.
The statement added, “At PUBG MOBILE, we value and respect all religions and strive to create a safe and inclusive environment for everyone. We will continue to listen to our players as we further review our content and strengthen our content vetting processes to ensure our game is sensitive to different religions, cultures and practices. We thank our fans for bringing this to our attention.”
It may be noted that the update with the issue had not been released in Pakistan by the time it was reported by MENA and promptly resolved.
This is not the first time PUBG Mobile has faced religious controversy. In May 2024, the game apologised after Muslim players objected to the use of Islamic calligraphy in a promotional video. The company responded by saying, “We are deeply sorry that it offended some of our users. We understand the importance of respecting different religious beliefs and sensitivities and hence we have removed that asset.”
In 2020, PUBG Mobile pulled its entire Mysterious Jungle game mode after Muslim players raised objections to a feature that required players to pray in front of totems to restore health, which many considered a form of idol worship prohibited in Islam.
