Much to the chagrin of fans of the battle royale game, BGMI has been banned in India. Now, Krafton and Google have offered their statements. On Thursday, BGMI (Battlegrounds Mobile India) wasn’t available on Google Play Store. Also, the mobile game is unavailable on Apple App Store. To recap, BGMI made its debut in India in 2021. Notably, the game was a version of PUBG Mobile with major changes.
Interestingly, the game’s removal comes at a time when Krafton was prepping to invest over $100 million in India. The BGMI developer is gearing up to invest in several other business ventures in the country. The South Korean company came under fire from the Indian government last year following a border dispute with China. Also, India imposed a ban on several Chinese apps that were allegedly a “threat to India’s security.”
BGMI India Ban: Krafton & Google Offer Statements
Now, it looks like BGMI is the latest entrant on the list of banned Chinese games in India. Notably, the game is no longer available for download on Android and iOS app stores in India. However, the reason behind the BGMI ban in India is still a mystery. However, the ban could be a result of an alleged killing over PUBG. A 16-year-old boy shot and killed his mother who was stopping him from playing the game, as per a report by Scroll.
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Further, an Indian teen ended up spending a whopping INR 16 Lakhs ($21,000) of parent’s money on PUBG back in 2020. So, there’s no dearth of reasons for banning the new version of PUBG in India. Meanwhile, Indian law enforcement is investigating a 16-year-old boy who allegedly shot his mother. Union Minister Rajeev Chandrashekhar noted that banned apps have resurfaced carrying new monikers in India. He was clearly referring to BGMI.
BGMI has been pulled from the Play Store because of a government order – a person familiar with the matter.
— Manish Singh (@refsrc) July 28, 2022
Now, Google and Krafton have released their statements on the BGMI ban in India. As per a statement from Google, the tech firm received an order. So, it notified Krafton and blocked access to the app. To recap, this app was available in the Play Store in India. Likewise, Krafton is trying to figure out why BGMI is not available on Google Play. Lastly, the game developer said it will share specific information soon.
