Battlegrounds Mobile India came as a replacement of PUBG Mobile in India when it got banned back in 2020. Since then, the players have been enjoying the game without any hassle until now, when the BGMI game has been mysteriously taken down from the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store in India.
Indian Government Bans BGMI
Update 29/07, 2:40PM IST: According to Reuters’ report, the government has banned BGMI using a section of the IT law that it has invoked since 2020 to ban Chinese apps on national security and data sharing concerns, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters. Under a similar provision of IT laws, PUBG: Mobile got banned in 2020 in the country.
During the evening of July 28, BGMI disappeared from the Play Store and App Store in India and the reason behind the move hasn’t been clarified at the moment. It was being said that the game was taken down due to a government order.
Google in a statement said, “On receipt of the order, following established process, we have notified the affected developer and have blocked access to the app that remained available on the Play Store in India”.
Read More: Two new Made in India Battle Royale Games are set to launch soon
Meanwhile, Krafton said, “we are clarifying how BGMI was removed from Google Play and will let you know once we get specific information”. In another report from TalkEsport, it is being said that Krafton will be holding meetings with the government tomorrow over the BGMI ban. Reportedly, the removal of the game from the App Store and Play Store is due to data migration concerns relating to the game and its links with China.
To make it available in India, Krafton cut its ties with Tencent to re-release the game in India and it was able to do so exactly a year ago, in July 2021. The publisher had also established a subsidiary in India and promised that it would invest $100 million in India’s local gaming and eSports industry. Earlier this month, BGMI crossed the 100 million registered users milestone in India.