Krafton’s BGMI Back In India But It Will Be Monitored For 3 Months: MoS Chandrasekhar
MoS Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Friday said Krafton’s popular game Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) is coming back to India after a 10-month suspension, albeit in a three-month trial.
The Minister tweeted that the approval has been given for the return of BGMI after its maker complied with issues of server locations, data security and more.
“We will keep a close watch on other issues of User harm, Addiction etc in next 3 months before a final decision is taken,” added Chandrasekhar.
Prior to suspension, BGMI surpassed 100 million registered users in July 2022. The game was one of the biggest revenue-generating Android apps in the country until its suspension.
According to Sensor Tower data, game clocked about USD 33 million in in-app spending from July 2021 to July 2022.
BGMI made history by becoming the first Esports event to be broadcasted on mainstream television (Star Sports) attracting 24 million concurrent viewers and a total of 200 million viewers.
“The long-awaited return of BGMI after a 10-month hiatus is a much-needed boost for the Esports community in our country. We express our gratitude to the government of India for bringing back the game for the nation's passionate gaming audience and promoting the Esports ecosystem through this development,” said Lokesh Suji, Director, Esports Federation of India & Vice President of the Asian Esports Federation (AESF), welcoming BGMI’s return.
Apart from the publisher's official tournaments, plenty of Indian esports organisations were also organising multiple BGMI tournaments with massive prize pools. The game was a major revenue source for esports organisations, teams, live streamers, esports players and gaming content creators in India.
“While the game is set to undergo certain changes to ensure a safe and enjoyable gaming experience for users upon its comeback on a trial period, it is encouraging to see the government bringing these safety measures for the youth of the country,” Suji added.
