It is 2020 and PUBG Mobile has been banned. No PUBG Mobile fan wants to revisit that memory, but seems like the BGMI ban in India is bringing back some painful memories for the community. The situation was laid to rest and once players realised that PUBG Mobile was not coming back, BGMI quite literally saved them. The game was released last year and has had a very successful run. Until now.
As per the multiple reports flooding in from left, right and center, one thing is for sure. The BGMI ban in India or what it seems like is due to the exact same reasons that led PUBG Mobile to meet its end.
Moreover, it has also been officially revealed that the game has been banned under Section 69A in India. Whether it is temporary or permanent is something which we are yet to know. The silence from both the parties on such a major incident is killing the players. All hell has already broken lose on the BGMI community.
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BGMI Ban in India – Top Reasons
Although no official statement or reasons for the BGMI ban in India have been stated by the Indian Government, we can make a couple of assumptions. The situation calls for us to dig a little deeper and try to unveil a little something from the incident.
1. BGMI is just the Indian version of PUBG Mobile
By the end of the day, BGMI is after all just the Indian avatar of PUBG Mobile. What’s more, multiple users on Twitter took to the platform to share some concerning screenshots of BGMI game files.
The .obb file of Battleground Mobile India still goes by not BGMI, but PUBG Mobile. So, apart from a simple rename, the game has not changed at all.
Also read: BGMI Taken Down From Google Play Store And Apple App Store!
These are the exact reasons that led to Prahar, an India-based NGO, to file a complaint against the game being an exact replica of PUBG Mobile. Whether the grounds are justified or not is a completely different story. We will get to know more soon.
2. Security Issues
The first reason basically leads to this second concern. PUBG Mobile was banned in India due to the fact that data was being leaked to China. This immediately became the cause of the game getting banned due to the India-China conflict.
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If the game has been nothing but just a mere rename, chances are the security issues have not been completely resolved. Or, maybe the reason is something else this time? Either way, nothing can be said at this point without the official statement’s release.
Today, on July 29, 2022, it was officially confirmed that BGMI has been banned under Section 69A. This directly means that Krafton was somehow involved in sharing the data of Indian users with China.
It is definitely heartbreaking to see the game meeting the same fate as PUBG Mobile. However, if data is indeed being diverted to Chinese servers, this is a matter of serious breach. As of today, Krafton has stated that they are looking into these exact reasons. They will get back to the community with concrete information on the same.
3. Crimes related to the game
Gaming is not a crime. That is what the entire BGMI community is saying right now. Here, there are two radical ideologies. While one section believes that this game is causing children to get violent, the other section has a completely different take on it.
There is a whole lot of controversy here, and no clear or concrete evidence to support any. However, there has been a recent crime revolving around a 16-year-old boy. We will spare you the disturbing details of the story. The point is that this particular may also be a reason for the BGMI ban in India.
Also read: 5 Best Gun Skins In BGMI To Customise Your Loadout!
4. In-app purchases getting out of hand
Like we saw with PUBG Mobile, BGMI has also had its fair share of cases where teenagers went out of control with the game’s in-app purchases. Now, to counter this, BGMI had the limit set to Rs. 7,000 in a day.
However, that did not stop a couple of teenagers from spending a hefty amount on the game using their parent’s money. This sort of “gambling” tendencies may just be another reason for the BGMI ban in India.
How To Play BGMI After Ban?
Although the game has been taken off of the Google Play Store and Apple App Store, players can still enjoy the game. How, you may ask? Those who already had the game installed on their device are still able to access the servers and play the game.
Also read: Want To Know How To Get Free UC In BGMI? Check These Methods
So, if you are one such player, you should still be able to play the game. However, that is not going to be the case soon, as Krafton has officially released a statement saying that they will be closing the game’s server in the country soon.
Krafton’s Response
Krafton has finally responded to the BGMI ban in India through a Twitter post. You can check out the tweet below:
As the tweet shows, the developers are trying to find suitable resolutions to this issue. After all, the initial PUBG was banned in India for similar security reasons, in addition to the violence shown in the game. The game was then rebranded as BGMI, with minor additions such as “finishes” instead of “kills” and green ‘blood’ splatter. India is one of the biggest markets for Krafton‘s games, and a permanent ban will mean plenty of losses for the company. Although no solutions to the situation have been announced yet, it’s clear that Krafton might make further changes to BGMI to ensure that it’s allowed in the Indian mobile gaming market.
BGMI Ban in India – Final Thoughts
With the upcoming ban on the most popular game in India right now, the eSports community is in chaos. What most players are worried about is how it will effect this competitive scene. PUBG Mobile literally created the mobile gaming eSports community in India. With PUBG Mobile getting banned two years ago, its Indian avatar came in as a saviour.
It is not just disappointing for competitive and casual players, but also heartbreaking for YouTubers who make a living off of it. Over the span of a year, the game has touched several lives in different ways. Besides, it brought back the PUBG Mobile community together all over again.
Also read: 5 Best BGMI Loadouts For TDM To Dominate Every Match!
What’s Next?
Right now, all we can do is keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best. However, the Section 69A imposition, things are not looking good for Krafton and Battlegrounds Mobile India. Meanwhile, with BGMI out of the scene again, maybe we will see a massive rise in Indian developers entering the mobile gaming scene, once again.
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Sagnik Dasgupta
Tech enthusiast, gamer and somebody for whom music acts as a life capsule. Nothing fascinates me more than catchy headlines and John Mayer's guitar mastery.