Scope of BGMI's comeback explored

September 28 marked the two-month anniversary of the government of India's decision to block BGMI (Battlegrounds Mobile India). However, even after more than two months, the clouds hanging over the game's ban have not cleared, as Krafton has not provided any information on when the title could return yet.

August 2022 saw many positive statements from Indian esports personalities and influencers regarding BGMI's comeback. However, due to the absence of any update on the game's future from its developers, many have started feeling hopeless again. At the moment, it's uncertain when Battlegrounds Mobile India may return.

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Will BGMI ever make a comeback to the Indian market

Battlegrounds Mobile India is yet to make a return even after two months of the ban (Image via Sportskeeda)

While fans wholeheartedly want Battlegrounds Mobile India to return soon, recent developments suggest the opposite.

Recently, Twitter user @godyamarajop made a post containing a copy of their RTI (Right to Information) appeal and an official reply from government authorities regarding the title's ban. The RTI response revealed the reason behind the government's decision to block the game.

A Twitter user recently tweeted his RTI request and the government's official response regarding the ban on BGMI {Image via Twitter/@godyamarajop}

According to the RTI reply, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology blocked the Krafton-backed game at the request of MHA (Ministry of Home Affairs). It was also mentioned that the decision to ban the title was taken after considering national security concerns alongside privacy issues. Here's what the official statement read:

"Based on the requests received through designated nodal officers from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has blocked the game application Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) under the provision of 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."

Apart from the official statement on Battlegrounds Mobile India's ban, the reply to the RTI appeal also mentioned Krafton's meeting with government authorities; however, confidentiality was maintained around the details:

"Yes, meeting with representatives of Krafton were held."

Battlegrounds Mobile India may not return to the India-specific Google Play Store and Apple App Store (Image via Sportskeeda)

Based on the official statements from Indian government authorities, one can draw parallels between the cases of BGMI, PUBG Mobile, and Free Fire. Therefore, people can also expect Battlegrounds Mobile India to see the same fate as the other two popular titles.

Neither PUBG Mobile nor Free Fire returned in their original form, as the former made a comeback as BGMI, while the latter already had its MAX variant as an apparent alternative.

Therefore, fans should stop hoping for Battlegrounds Mobile India's return anytime soon. Although the servers of Battlegrounds Mobile India are still active currently, the unavailability of an update (2.2 version) is another worrying sign. At the same time, users also need to avoid fake download links of the BGMI 2.2 update.