The game was banned back in July, but could it make a return soon? It’s certainly possible.
After months of radio silence, Kraton has confirmed that Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) could come back to the country’s Google Play Store and Apple's App Store.
BGMI was banned in India on July 28, 2022, and the game was removed from the application stores on that day. While the Indian government didn’t reveal any reasons for the ban, it later confirmed through an RTI that the game was banned due to data privacy concerns under Section 69a of the Indian constitution’s IT act.
BGMI could be coming back as Krafton says that its making "efforts"
Krafton released its Q3 2022 earnings yesterday. In the press release for the quarter, the developer said that it was continuing its efforts to bring back BGMI.
“KRAFTON is continuing its efforts to resume services for BATTLEGROUNDS MOBILE INDIA (BGMI) and will continue investing in the Indian games market,” the company said in the press release.
It’s not surprising to see Krafton trying everything it can to bring the game back. BGMI was one of the most played video games in India and is a big deal for Krafton.
In fact, revenue from mobile for the last quarter fell by 26 percent year-over-year and 12 percent quarter-over-quarter. The South Korean company blamed this on the end of the pandemic and the BGMI ban.
Ever since launching BGMI in mid-2021, Krafton has deepened its commitment to India. It set up a new office in Bangalore and invested over $100 million into different Indian companies. Most notably, it put $22.5 million into NODWIN Gaming, one of the biggest esports companies in the country.
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Not a complete ban?
Over the past two years, the Indian government has banned many applications and websites primarily citing data privacy concerns. Access to these apps, however, was completely restricted within a few days.
This isn’t the case with BGMI, though. The game can still be played, although it hasn’t received any update since July.
This is certainly a positive indication for the scores of fans who are hoping that BGMI comes back. However, Krafton didn’t provide any timeline on when that might happen.
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