Krafton-owned Battleground Mobile India will resume operations in India after a 10-month ban. The government has revoked the ban post a 3-month trial period.
Minister of State for Electronics and IT, Rajeev Chandrasekhar in a tweet on Friday said a three-month trial approval has been granted for BGMI, after it complied with issues of server locations and data security.
“This is a 3-month trial approval of #BGMI after it has complied with issues of server locations n data security etc. We will keep a close watch on other issues of user harm, addiction etc in the next three months before a final decision is taken,” Chandrasekhar tweeted.
The game was removed from Google Play Store and Apple App Store post a government order last year post a ban demand requested by an NGO PRAHAR on it, alleging that the banned PUBG game was re-introduced in India by Chinese conglomerate Tencent’s front company Krafton. However, Krafton has denied any link of BGMI with Tencent.
“We are highly grateful to the Indian authorities for allowing us to resume operations of Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI),” Krafton Inc India CEO Sean Hyunil Sohn said in a statement.
Krafton has also made investments in some of the Indian gaming firms such as NODWIN Gaming. Krafton aims to augment technology developments in India by collaborating with local developers and promoting the use of cutting-edge technologies.
“At Krafton, Inc, we are deeply committed to the Indian gaming ecosystem. Our approach has always been India-first, which serves as the foundation of all our efforts. We believe in investing in the Indian gaming industry and contributing to building a vibrant ecosystem that fosters growth and innovation,” Sohn added.
According to the company, BGMI had over 100 million users at the time it was banned in India. BGMI made history by becoming the first esports event to be broadcasted on mainstream television attracting 24 million concurrent viewers and a total of 200 million viewers.
Krafton Inc India, head of government affairs, Vibhor Kukreti said that Krafton Inc is a responsible South Korean organization that abides by the law and has put in place several measures to ensure compliance with all applicable regulations.
“We work tirelessly to ensure that India takes the lead in this domain by embracing innovative practices in collaboration with the gaming ecosystem to support, sustain and promote its growth. We strongly encourage our users to prioritize their well-being and follow responsible gaming practices,” said Kukreti.