PUBG Mobile was like home for all of us creators, so we have been waiting for BGMI’s announcement for months: Ronodeep “RawKnee” Dasgupta

Battlegrounds Mobile India will definitely have a significant impact on the mobile esports scene of the nation.

The official launch announcement has caused quite a stir in the community, and many mobile gaming personalities have been vocal about their expectations from Krafton’s upcoming title.

In an interview with Sportskeeda Esports’ Abhishek Mallick, Indian video games YouTuber Ronodeep “RawKnee” Dasgupta opened up about his thoughts on Battlegrounds Mobile India and the impact the game can have when it’s officially launched.

Here is an excerpt of the conversation.

Q. You have been one of India’s popular gaming content creators who has been playing PUBG Mobile. So how has life been for you ever since PUBG Mobile got banned in India last year?

RawKnee: It has been very exciting in fact. Us PUBG creators got an opportunity to swim in some new waters. We got to try new games, play around with our content, and actually re-discover and re-invent ourselves. I have always occasionally played different games like Minecraft, but after the ban, I got to play them much more, which made me discover a new side of content creation.

Q. How did you feel when Battlegrounds Mobile India got officially announced?

RawKnee: It was very exciting. Although we got a lot of hope late last year with the announcement of BGMI, it was the first real hope of PUBG Mobile coming back. I am very excited to play it.

Q. How different do you feel the Indian variant of PUBG Mobile will be from the original?

RawKnee: I don’t think it will be very different, But it wouldn't be harmful to have some Indian touch to it. Like Hindi language and audio, Indian clothes and special events on our festivals.

Q. How drastically do you think the Indian mobile esports scene will change once Battlegrounds Mobile India launches?

RawKnee: Drastically. But I hope our Indian teams get to compete in global competitions. I have always had the dream of seeing an Indian team win an S-Tier Major.

Q. For better or for worse, what do you feel will be Battlegrounds Mobile India’s impact on similar titles like Free Fire and Call of Duty: Mobile?

RawKnee: Free Fire and CODM have their own very devoted audiences and players, although quite a few players moved to those games after the ban. I don’t think it will impact those titles' current situation a lot after the launch of BGMI

Q. With Krafton’s title making a return to India, how exactly will your professional career as a streamer and content creator change?

RawKnee: Well, it depends, I heard that in BGMI the Spawn Island has no loot, so that will impact my professional career and my mental health a lot. I will probably cry in the shower for at least a week. But besides that, I don’t think there'll be any change.

Q. In terms of investment, what kind of engagement do you feel Battlegrounds Mobile India can pull in for the scene once it’s officially launched?

RawKnee: I don’t even need to say this. The trailer, the comments and the pre-registration are enough to describe that. BGMI will come and turn the whole game upside down.

Q. Do you feel that India having its own version of PUBG Mobile will cause complications, especially when it comes to competitive fairness in esports?

RawKnee: Well, if everyone competing is playing the same game with the same match settings, everything will be fair.

Q. With the PUBG Mobile ban last year, a lot of esports talents and streamers started taking up new games. How much of the player base do you feel will return once the game returns?

RawKnee: Everybody, as PUBG Mobile has been like home for us creators and players. Even if you quit playing games, you will try it out at least once. But content creators have been waiting for this announcement for months.

Q. Will the majority of your time now go to playing Battlegrounds Mobile India after its official launch? What can fans expect from your future streams?

RawKnee: After its launch, I will be playing it a lot for sure, but at the same time, I would really want to keep up games like Minecraft as a part of the channel too.

Q. Do you plan to get into the competitive side of Battlegrounds Mobile India after it's launched?

RawKnee: No plans as of now, but never say never.