Google, Apple ban Battlegrounds Mobile India game in India post govt order

Google and Apple on Thursday pulled popular battle royale game Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) from their respective app stores, following a government order.

Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) is the Indian version of PUBG Mobile, exclusively for players in the country developed and published by Krafton.

The game was released on July 2, 2021 for Android devices, and on August 18, 2021, after the government had banned PUBG along with Chinese apps over national security concerns.

"On receipt of the order, following the established process, we have notified the affected developer and have blocked access to the app that remained available on the Play Store in India," a Google spokesperson told IANS.

Apple had also removed the app from its App Store.

Krafton was yet to comment on the development.

Earlier this month, the game developer announced that its BGMI had surpassed 100 million registered users.

It also said that BGMI has completed one year of being the most loved game in India.

"BGMI's first year has been a resounding success with millions of players joining to experience the game. We have brought in major tournaments, Indian-themed collaborations, and celebrated India-centric events with the community with a goal of curating gameplay unique to our Indian users," Krafton CEO Changhan Kim had said in a statement.

In the last year, the game developer invested nearly $100 million to improve India's local video game, e-sports, and entertainment startups to build a healthy gaming start-up ecosystem.

Krafton also said that 2022 will see 4 pro and semi-pro tournaments (BMOC, recently concluded BMPS Season 1, BGIS Season 2 and BMPS Season 2) featuring cash prizes of Rs 6 crore while giving players across India a platform to showcase their skills.

--IANS

na/vd