Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) is returning to India, Krafton confirmed today. The game was banned back in July 2022 for data privacy concerns and finally, 10 months later is coming back.
While the game was banned last year, it was only taken down from the application stores. BGMI was still available to play as the servers hadn’t been taken down but was receiving no additional updates. Thus, fans have been waiting around for its return for nearly a year now.
“We are highly grateful to the Indian authorities for allowing us to resume operations of BGMI,” said Sean Hyunil Sohn, CEO, Krafton India. “We are excited to announce that BATTLEGROUNDS MOBILE INDIA will be available for download soon and we cannot wait to welcome you back to our platform.”
Currently, BGMI is still not available on the Play Stores. The game’s servers have also been taken down as Krafton gears up to launch it. It should be available within the next few days.
Here are three talking points from the return of BGMI to the country.
Source: Krafton
BGMI unban is not permanent
India woke up on May 19 with the news of BGMI’s comeback but the game’s return isn’t permanent yet.
Responding to a media report about Krafton resuming the game’s service, Rajeev Chandrashekhar, India’s Union Minister of Electronics and Technology, said that this is a “three-month trial approval” after the game had complied with issues of server location and data security.
He added that the government will be keeping a close eye on other issues such as user harm, addiction, and more before a final decision is taken.
Thus, players will have to wait for three more months before the game is fully approved.
Vibhor Kukreti, who heads government affairs at Krafton India, said that Krafton is a South Korean organization that “abides by the law and has put in place several measures to ensure compliance with all applicable regulations.”
Big boost for Indian esports
A still from Krafton’s BGMI Masters Series
In early 2022, India’s blooming esports scene was dictated by two main titles: Free Fire and PUBG Mobile. However, both games were soon banned.
The market gap left by the bans couldn’t be filled by other titles like Apex Legends Mobile and New State Mobile, though. This left a huge gap in the ecosystem and brought a big halt to the country’s esports industry.
While PC titles like VALORANT managed to grow, the viewership numbers were still incomparable to what BGMI was bringing.
The return of the game brings hope to the esports industry, though. While Krafton is yet to comment on esports, the game will definitely be getting tournaments soon.
It remains to be seen if Krafton brings tournaments immediately or after the three-month trial period is over.
BGMI coming back is a benefit to everyone
BGMI’s ban affected everyone in India’s gaming and esports industry. The return will not only be a boost for the esports sector but for gaming brands as a whole.
This includes content creators, smartphone manufacturers, as well as streaming platforms. Mobile gaming content creators have seen a sharp decline in their viewership ever since the game was banned. Now, though, with the game coming back they will have a chance to grow their audiences again.
Streaming platforms like Rooter and Loco were also central in the growth of India’s gaming and esports sector. With BGMI coming back, they will be able to reinvest in content creators. In fact, Rooter announced yesterday that it raised $16 million in funding led by Lightbox despite the ban on BGMI.
The game’s return is definitely good news for everyone. The only question left is whether it will continue to be available after three months. Krafton will surely be working hard to make sure that it is.
Read next:Countries that have banned PUBG Mobile: Where is the game banned?
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