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BGMI recently celebrated a year of its release in the Indian gaming market. The game has played a significant role in the rise of Indian esports. However, shockingly, it was delisted from the App Store and Google Play Store last night.
This sudden action from the reputed companies created a frenzy in the gaming community. However, a few hours later, Google issued a statement mentioning that the company had followed the commands of the Indian Government and pulled the popular title from their store.
To make matters worse, a report discussed the game's potential ban in India.
Things that BGMI players must know about potential ban
Based on the report, the popular battle royale title has faced a potential ban by the Government of India. It was levied on the popular title under the rules of Section 69 A.
Although a public notice is yet to be issued, the Indian Government had already ordered Google and Apple to pull BGMI from their respective stores.
Section 69A of the Information Technology Act empowers the Indian Government to restrict the usage of any content in the interest of integrity and sovereignty of India, security of the state, and friendly relations with foreign states or for public order.
It relies on a provision invoked since 2020 to ban several other foreign apps over national security concerns. Previously popular BR titles like Free Fire and PUBG Mobile also faced the same fate.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) was supposed to hold a meeting with the officials of Krafton today. However, both parties have yet to sit down to discuss the matter.
It remains to be seen when the game will return in both the virtual stores and will be available for Indian gamers.
How has Krafton suffered from removal of BGMI from Google Play Store and App Store?
Krafton is amongst the top game development organizations in the entire world. The Seoul-based company has developed multiple popular games, with Battlegrounds Mobile India being one of its biggest selling offerings. The game's delisting massively impacted the company's stocks.
On July 29 morning, Krafton's stocks faced a massive hit as they went down rapidly by 15,000 Won to reach 229,500 Won. The fall accounted for 6.13% of the company's shares, followed by a 9% fall on July 28.
The South Korean company had managed to recuperate only 5.7% value by the end of yesterday.
