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A year after its launch, BGMI ended up with the same fate as its predecessor, PUBG Mobile. Despite receiving the go-ahead for an India-specific audience, Battlegrounds Mobile India was handed a ban by the Indian government on 28 July, who cited security reasons for the same.
The ban was confirmed by Google's statement on why they removed the game from the Play Store. The response from the tech giant hinted at an official government order behind the takedown of Battlegrounds Mobile India from both the Google Play Store and Apple's App Store.
Amid all the new developments regarding Battlegrounds Mobile India's future, the game's South Korean publisher, Krafton, has put out an official statement on the matter.
BGMI: What South Korean publisher has to say about ban
After its removal from both the Play Store and the App Store, players were concerned about Battlegrounds Mobile India's future in the country. The official statement from Krafton also had a similar tone of uncertainty regarding the matter.
Here's what the statement of the publisher said:
"We are clarifying how BGMI was removed from the Google Play and App stores and will let you know once we get specific information."
Contrary to that, Google's response was more particular about the ban; they mentioned the "order" which led to the removal of Battlegrounds Mobile India.
Here's the official statement:
"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."
The air around the ban has been cleared as the reason has become public. The Indian government has banned Battlegrounds Mobile India under Section 69A of the IT law. The reason behind the ban is related to security, which also coincides with the Free Fire ban.
What happened with Battlegrounds Mobile India?
For readers unaware of the developments, Battlegrounds Mobile India was removed from the Google Play Store around 7:30 pm IST on 28 July. Amid speculations on whether it was a publishing error or an actual ban, the popular BR game was also taken down from the App Store.
The response from Google and Krafton surfaced on the same day. On 29 July, the the Indian government's reason behind the ban became clearer. However, despite the suspension, users who have BGMI installed can still play it without hassle.
