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BGMI banned in India, removed from Google Play Store and App Store

BGMI, to recall, made its debut last year in June.

By Ashish Kumar -

Published On: July 28, 2022

Highlights

PUBG Mobile is banned in India yet again
Karfton's Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) is no longer available for download on Google Play Store and App Store
The game was reportedly removed from India on the government's order

Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) is no longer available for download on Google Play Store and App Store. Reports suggest that the game has been banned in India following the government's order. While we don't know for sure, the BGMI ban could be linked to its similarities with PUBG Mobile, which was banned back in 2020 due to its Chinese roots. Per a report by The Hindu, Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar submitted a written report to Rajya Sabha saying that there are reports and grievances of banned apps appearing in new avatars using similar-sounding names that have been forwarded to the Home Ministry for examination. BGMI is nothing but a rebranded version of PUBG Mobile.

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BGMI ban in India: Krafton and Google's statement

Commenting on the ban, BGMI game maker Krafton said, "we are clarifying how BGMI was removed from Google Play and will let you know once we get specific information." Google, on the other hand, claims that the game has been removed from the Play Store on 'receipt of the order'. In its official statement, the search engine giant said "following established process, we have notified the affected developer and have blocked access to the app that remained available on the Play Store in India."

Google statement: "On receipt of the order, following established process, we have notified the affected developer and have blocked access to the app that remained available on the Play Store in India."
— Manish Singh (@refsrc) July 28, 2022

Why was BGMI banned in India?

Speculations are that this has to do with the media report of a child killing his mother due to PUBG. The incident happened in Lucknow where a 16-year-old boy killed his mother as she stopped him from playing the online battle royal game PUBG.

The matter was raised in parliament by Mr Chandrasekhar who said that this is a matter of investigation by LEAs (Law Enforcement Agencies) to find the reason. "But, the PUBG gaming app was blocked by MeitY in the year 2020 and the PUBG game is not available in India since then," he added.

What happens to BGMI next?

Until further updates, BGMI will remain unavailable on Google Play Store and App Store. This means that users won't be able to download the game on their devices. However, those who already have the BGMI installed can continue playing it for the time being.

PUBG New State still available for download

While BGMI has been removed from the app marketplace, Krafton's new-age game PUBG New State is still available for download on both Google Play Store and App Store. For the uninitiated, the PUBG New State or simply New State offers the same gameplay as the BGMI, but with better graphics. The title is also limited to fewer devices. You need an Android device with at least 4GB RAM and Android 6 or higher, or an iPhone running iOS 13 or higher.

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