The Centre today approved resuming operations of Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI), a wildly popular India-focused online multiplayer shooting game, that South Korean gaming giant Krafton launched after the government banned its earlier avatar PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) in September 2020 amid tension over fresh Chinese provocation in Ladakh, citing concerns about its data-sharing and mining in China. BGMI was also, in July last year, blocked by the Centre. Krafton Inc is backed by China's Tencent.
Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar said this is a three-month trial approval after the gaming company complied with issues of server locations and data security.
"This is a 3 month trial approval of #BGMI aftr it has complied wth issues of server locations n data security etc.
We will keep a close watch on other issues of User harm, Addiction etc in next 3 months before a final decision is taken," he tweeted.
The IT Ministry, while banning BGMI's earlier avatar PUBG, along with other Chinese apps, had said they, "are engaged in activities which are prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order".
BGMI had more than 100 million users in India at the time of removal. Following a government directive, the app was removed from Alphabet Inc's Google Play Store and Apple Inc's App Store.
Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI), in an Instagram post, said it has put in pace several measures to ensure compliance to all Indian laws, and is committed to providing a "safe and enjoyable experience" to its players, and will continue to work tirelessly to ensure the highest possible standards.
"At KRAFTON, Inc., we are our 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" it said, announcing that Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) will be available for download soon.
