Krafton’s BGMI To Make A Comeback In India, But T&C Apply

Popular battle royale game Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) is making a comeback in India after nine months of its ban in the country. BGMI developer Krafton said on Friday 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.

Although the company did not share a timeline when it would be available for downloads in India, the Union Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar said on Twitter that this is a three-month trial approval of 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, although the rationale for the ban was not clear.

Krafton’s troubles began in 2020 when the Indian government banned its popular game PUBG Mobile, along with other apps with Chinese connections, under Section 69A of the Information Technology (IT) Act.

Following the ban, Krafton had cut ties with Chinese giant Tencent Games, which published and distributed PUBG Mobile games in India and re-entered the country by launching BGMI in July 2021. BGMI’s popularity skyrocketed with the game touching 100 Mn registered users in India in July 2022.

“Krafton 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,” Vibhor Kukreti, government affairs head of Krafton India said.

Meanwhile, Krafton launched a new mobile game in India- Road to Valor: Empires, developed by Dreamotion, a South Korean game development studio acquired by Krafton in 2021.

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.