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BGMI developers Krafton released a statement requesting that players remain patient while they attempt to resolve the removal of the game from Google Play Store and Apple App Store in India. They also expressed a desire to contribute to the development of esports in the country and assured players that they were willing to comply with any rules and regulations.
Their words instilled hope in the hearts of Indian gamers that the game might make a comeback in the future. Google and Apple were following the instructions of the Government of India, which requested that the game be removed due to a suspected privacy breach that could be a threat to the security and sovereignty of the country. This was done following the rules set down in Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000. Here is what Krafton said about BGMI ban in India and what they promised the users.
Krafton India's statements on BGMI ban so far
Krafton Inc. has been working hard to get BGMI back to the virtual stores. They suffered significant losses after the game was delisted.
The initial statement came from Krafton India's CEO, Sean Hyunil Sohn, who emphasized the company's desire to develop the esports and gaming ecosystem in India.
He mentioned that Krafton has always prioritized the privacy and security of user data. According to him, the company has abided by all the rules in India (including data protection laws and regulations) and would continue to do so in the future.
He also expressed gratitude to users for their love and support and assured them that Krafton would work towards finding a solution. Sohn added that Krafton was trying to establish communication with the concerned authorities and get things back on track.
Requesting players and fans to remain patient, Sohn mentioned that Krafton would inform them about further updates on the potential ban.
Meanwhile, the CFO of Krafton, Bae Dong-geun, recently arranged for a conference call called the '2022 2Q Earnings Results Conference Call.' He mentioned several topics during the call, including the company's take on the recent removal of BGMI. He stated that Krafton was trying its best to make the title available to Indian gamers.
Dong-geon also spoke about how the company has always upheld India's privacy policies set down by the government, stating that the company was operating on "rigid data security standards and monitoring."
He seconded Sohn's statement and said that Krafton was trying their best to cooperate with the authorities so that users could enjoy the game soon.
Dong-geon also emphasized that Battlegrounds Mobile India quickly became one of the most popular games in the country within a year of its release. It has over 100 million registered users in this short time frame.
Speaking about the growth of Indian esports, he highlighted that the BGMI Masters Series LAN tournament became the first televised esports event, with around 24 million fans viewing the tournament on TV.
The LAN event was organized by Nodwin Gaming between June and July 2022 and was telecast live on Star Sports 2 during prime time. Dong-geun also mentioned that the tournament had crossed over 200 million in digital viewership (including livestreams on LOCO and Glance).
It is clear that Krafton understands the importance of BGMI in the gaming market, but it remains to be seen how the situation will unfold. BGMI doesn't seem to make a comeback anytime soon. However, industry leaders have said that the game could still make a potential comeback in the country.
