Krafton’s BGMI Finally Arrives In India, Introduces Limited Playtime

Popular battle royale game Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) is finally playable in India after the Indian government lifted a ban on the game earlier this month.

“To ensure a seamless experience, the game’s playability will be staggered, allowing users to login in phases. Within a maximum of 48 hours, all users will be able to login and play the game,” BGMI developer Krafton said.

The game has been rolled out with a 2.5 update which includes several new features and in-game events. On the sidelines of the availability of the game, Krafton has also launched a new marketing campaign ‘India Ki Heartbeat’ recently.

Interestingly, BGMI has also introduced a limited playtime feature. The playtime for users under 18 will be three hours whereas for the rest of the players, it will be six hours daily. Furthermore, parental verification and daily spend limit for minors continues to be a part of the game.

Earlier this month, BGMI developer Krafton said that the Indian government has allowed BGMI operations in India.

“We are highly grateful to the Indian authorities for allowing us to resume operations of BGMI. We are excited to announce that BGMI will be available for download soon and we cannot wait to welcome you back to our platform,” Sean Hyunil Sohn, CEO of Krafton India said.

However, the Union Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar clarified on Twitter saying that the lifting of the ban is a three-month trial approval for BGMI after it complied with issues of server locations and data security, among others.

“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,” the minister added.

BGMI was pulled down from Google and Apple stores following a government order in July 2022. Krafton launched with BGMI in India in July 2021, almost a year after PUBG was banned in the country due to geopolitical issues. Within a year of its launch, BGMI touched 100 Mn registered users in India in July 2022.

Meanwhile, Krafton has launched its esports YouTube channel and Instagram page for India, Krafton India Esports.

India’s gaming market was valued at $2.6 Bn in FY22 and is expected to grow to $8.6 Bn by FY27 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 27%, as per a report.

Indians spent an average of 8.5 hours per week on mobile games in FY22. Time spent on top mid-core games such as BGMI was about double of what was spent on top casual games.