The Indian government has banned the mobile game BGMI by Krafton, a Korean company invested by Tencent, on grounds of national security.
BGMI is dubbed as PUBG Mobile India. Although the Indian government has not publicly announced the ban, the game has now been removed from Google play and the AppStore in the country.
In fact, this is not the first time India has banned BGMI. In 2020, Chinese authorities banned more than 300 Chinese apps including games for the same reason. Then Tencent, the company that was originally in charge of operations, had to withdraw from the market and make way for Krafton, the parent company of the PUBG IP, to take over the localization. The reopened version is BGMI.
The game is currently banned in India.
Following the ban, a number of game companies in India banded together and sent a letter to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking him to maintain “uniform and fair treatment” with all game companies operating in the country. movement in the market. In this joint letter, there are many famous game companies in India such as Outlier Games, Story Pix, Lucid Labs, Roach Interactive, Godspeed Games, and Uniplay Digital.
In addition to demanding fair treatment, the letter expressed displeasure with India’s ban on BGMI, calling the ban an “unfortunate event” and alleging the “arbitrary decision of the Indian government” Not only is India going against the established principles, but it also deprives a generation of young Indians of the opportunity to thrive in the gaming space.”
In addition, the letter states that “India has been far behind in developing high-tech entrepreneurs” and that the global gaming giants operating in India have built “a long-term vision”. term to help build a strong local gaming ecosystem.” To do so, this requires not only “capital and infrastructure investment, but also the participation of global gaming giants with rich experience and next-generation technology”.
It is understood that after the launch of BGMI in India, the number of active users surpassed 16 million in the first week, while the number of online users exceeded 2.4 million and the number of registered users in 10 days. reached 34 million. So far, the number of registered players has surpassed the 100 million mark. Affected by the ban, Krafton’s stock price fell more than 9%.
Krafton had previously said that they were working with the Indian government to bring the game back to the app store, but it turned out to be more difficult than expected.
Currently BGMI game app is not available for download in India. Krafton seems to have an impact on game companies here so that they send a “letter” to the national government to “speak up” for the Korean game company.
The letter to the prime minister asked him to intervene urgently in the matter, seeking “his advice and guidance on moving towards a more comprehensive dialogue and discussion in the future”. The Gamemakers Alliance further stated: “While capital and infrastructure are critical to the survival and growth of the industry, the leading global video game companies with vast experience in Their experience and next-generation technology is needed to establish a strong gaming ecosystem in India.”
They need a clear set of standards and frameworks to ensure fairness and uniformity for all stakeholders. The industry looks forward to actively engaging with government in formulating a robust set of video game-focused policies based on global best practices.
BGMI is blocked under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act 2000, the same Act that PUBG Mobile and TikTok were banned two years ago. Neither Krafton nor the Indian government revealed the reason behind blocking the app.
