Battlegrounds Mobile India, also known as BGMI has been removed from the Google Play Store and App store of India without any related formal announcement or such. This has occurred very recently as in just now and is sending a scare to all the players due to the game’s predecessor being banned earlier in the country.
BGMI’s removal is due to a order from the Indian Government
It is important to note that the game BGMI’s predecessor PUBG Mobile was banned back in the year 2020 all over India after allegations of privacy infringement were raised against Tencent, the distributors of PUBG Mobile, and the matter was handled by the government in the form of a ban. There were also widespread complaints lodged from parents all over the country as the game was too addictive and affected the daily lives of the players involved.
Google has recently released a statement after the ban stating they decided to remove the game from its Play Store following a “Government Order“. Since the statement, eminent Indian BGMI Youtubers have come forward with the claims that this is not a permanent ban and there will court hearings on the coming days related to this incident.
According to Reuters, the Indian Government has blocked BGMI under section 69A of India’s IT law in the interest of national security. According to Reuter’s report, “India’s government blocked a popular battle-royale format game from Krafton Inc, a South Korean company backed by China’s Tencent, as it was concerned about its data sharing and mining in China.”
According to Section 69A of the IT Act, the government can impose access restrictions on any content if doing so will promote public order, state security, foreign relations, or the sovereignty and integrity of the nation. Furthermore, now, in-app purchases have been restricted from the game meaning people who already have downloaded BGMI on their devices can’t spend money on the game.
Finally, after many unsettling moments, Sean Hyunil Sohn, the CEO of Krafton Inc India has come forward with an official statement on the distress of all the BGMI fans and players. According to him,
Dear Patron of BGMI,
We are committed to the Indian market and are positive about the opportunities in the country. At KRAFTON, Inc. the security and privacy of our user data are of utmost importance to us. We have always been compliant with all laws and regulations in India including data protection laws and regulations and will continue abiding by them.
We thank you for all the love and support you have shown us in our journey up till here and hope to continue our association in the future as well. There may be questions in your minds regarding the current situation about the country’s most loved game – BGMI. In line with this, we have been working hard to communicate our sincerity to the concerned authorities and resolve the issues.
We kindly request you to wait to hear from us. We will keep you informed about further updates. We look forward to strengthening our partnerships and collectively fostering the gaming ecosystem in India
Sean Hyunil Sohn, the CEO of Krafton Inc India
There were several violent crimes committed recently due to matters related to the game, including murders of family members due to them scolding a boy for playing the game for too long. Another incident, which occurred a week earlier, saw the murder of a mother at the hands of her son due to her objecting to her son playing the game for prolonged periods of time.
This incident raised questions regarding the game and if any measures would be taken against it due to its negative aspects of it. In another unrelated case, last week over a hundred people were arrested in Bangladesh who were part of a PUBG Mobile tournament in spite of the game being banned there.
Final Thoughts
The BGMI community, which has just begun to flourish again in India after recovering from the earlier ban, will no doubt be struck with another heavy blow if the removal of the game from the Play Store does indeed suggest another such measure. Thus it remains to be seen how the events will turn out and will be updated here when any announcements are made.
What are your thoughts as BGMI was removed from Google Play Store and App Store? Let us know in the comments below!
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