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BGMI was introduced in the gaming market in 2021. Within a year, the title became the leading battle royale game, enjoyed by millions across the country.
However, the game's meteoric rise stalled when it was suddenly removed from the Google Play Store and Apple Apple Store on July 28. Since then, various rumors regarding the game's comeback have surfaced online. However, the title is yet to be made available to Indian gamers.
BGMI servers still working months after the ban
Although Indian players are barred from downloading Battlegrounds Mobile India, several users who already have the game installed on their devices have been playing the game regularly.
Many popular streamers like Jonathan, Neyoo, Zgod, Hector, and others have been livestreaming the game daily. They can do so because the in-game servers are still active.
Although the game has not been updated in the last four months, the number of active players has led Krafton to re-introduce the C3S7 twice.
MeitY's response to RTI filed by a user
Answering an RTI filed by Twitter user GodYamarajOP, MeitY responded that it was acting on instructions from the Ministry of Home Affairs. They blocked the popular title, BGMI, under the rules stated in Section 69A of the Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000 and the Information Technology (Procedure and Safeguards for Blocking for Access of Information by Public) Rules, 2009.
Based on the provision under Section 69A of IT Act, 2000, the Government of India has the power to block information from public access under certain conditions.
In the same reply, MeitY affirmed that a confidential meeting took place between them and Krafton India. However, since Rule 16 of the IT Act, 2000 forbids the sharing of information regarding any requests/complaints, the meeting's details could not be shared.
Krafton's statement on BGMI's suspension
To date, several official statements from Krafton have surfaced online. The initial statement arrived from Krafton India's CEO, Sean Hyunil Sohn, who highlighted the company's desire to expand the scope of esports and gaming in India.
Sean mentioned that Krafton has always looked after the security and privacy of user data. According to him, the company has followed all the rules set by the Indian government and will continue to do so in the future.
During Krafton's '2022 Q2 results' conference call, Krafton's CFO, Bae Dong-geun, stated that the company was trying to bring the title back to virtual stores.
Dong-geun seconded Sean and mentioned that the company has always respected the privacy policies laid out by the Government of India. He also mentioned that Krafton functions on "rigid data security standards and monitoring."
The latest statement arrived in Krafton's 2022 Q3 brochure, in which the company stated that they were still trying to resolve the situation. In the meantime, however, they would continue to invest in the Indian gaming market.
These statements have instilled hope in the hearts of Indian mobile gamers who are eagerly waiting for BGMI to make a comeback.
