Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) is the Indian version of the PUBG Mobile, exclusively for players in India. It is an online multiplayer battle royale game developed and published by Krafton. The game was released on 2 July 2021 for Android devices and on 18 August 2021 for iOS devices. Since then the game has become very popular among Indian gamers.
ALSO READ: BGMI has been banned in India following order from the government
However, everyone was in for a surprise, when BGMI was suddenly taken down from the Google PlayStore day before yesterday. After PUBG was banned in India in 2020, BGMI was launched with changes to suit Indian gamers, so everyone has been wondering why this sudden ban now.
There seem to be various reasons behind this sudden ban. It is being said that MeitY had issues with the way Krafton was handling the data as well as the links to the Chinese companies. After hours of speculation, Both Krafton and Google have tried to clear the air via their statements.
Krafton Says
“We are clarifying how BGMI was removed from Google Play Store and the App store and will let you know once we get specific information.” No confirmed reason has been given by the company as of now, however, a more concrete statement might be released soon.
Google Says
“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.”
Some reports claim that the BGMI has been banned for the same reasons as those of PUBG Mobile. The GOI is concerned about the issues related to data migration and the connection to Chinese firms. However, it still remains to be seen what reason the government states for banning BGMI.
This new move by the Government has also come after a recent incident in Lucknow where a 16-year-old boy shot and killed his mother over an argument about PUBG/BGMI. The issue was debated in Rajya Sabha and discussions surrounding the BGMI ban started popping up as well.
How to still play BGMI despite the ban
For those who have already installed the game on their devices, there’s still time as they can still access the BGMI servers and play a bunch of Team Death Matches before the game completely vanishes into thin air.
Also while BGMI is missing from app stores, Krafton’s New State Mobile, known as the PUBG New State is still very much available to download and play. Those wanting to get a PUBG-style experience can head over to New State Mobile.
