Battlegrounds Mobile India, popularly known as BGMI, is back on the Google Play Store. Two days after Krafton announced it has secured the Indian government’s approval, Google has relisted the popular battle royale. That marks the relaunch of BGMI. However, iPhone users may have to wait as Apple has still not brought back BGMI to the App Store.
Last year, the government ordered both Google and Apple to delist Battlegrounds Mobile India after it found the app was prejudicial to the country’s sovereignty. The immediate ban, however, did not include orders to the Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) to block server access to the game. But for what it is worth, the ban suspended future updates to the game since it was no longer available on app marketplaces. The return of the game makes it accessible far and wide.
BGMI is not available for everyone yet
Battlegrounds Mobile India’s listing on the Google Play Store is about 735MB in size and would require the installation of additional files. However, it was not visible to everyone at the time of writing. The developer account on the Play Store also does not show Battlegrounds Mobile India, so it is possible that the battle royale is headed for an incremental rollout across the country. This means it is available to some users before a wider rollout takes place. Krafton has not specified any details about the rollout.
BGMI is on a trial
Last week, the South Korean company, which took the reins of its smash-hit battle royale in 2020 after PUBG Mobile faced a ban in India, said it is “a responsible South Korean organisation that abides by the law and has put in place several measures to ensure compliance with all applicable regulations.” While Krafton did not mention what it has done as part of its efforts to comply with Indian law, reports are rife that the latest version of Battlegrounds Mobile India comes with green-coloured spills turned on by default and a timer to stop prolonged gaming.
“We work tirelessly to ensure that India takes the lead in this domain by embracing innovative practices in collaboration with the gaming ecosystem to support, sustain and promote its growth,” Vibhor Kukreti, Head of Government Affairs, Krafton India said.
But BGMI’s return is subject to a three-month probation, as well as certain conditions. Minister of State for Electronics and IT, Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Friday clarified that the final decision to allow the mobile game Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) to return to the country will only be taken after three months of a strict trial of the game. The minister said that the government will keep a close watch on other issues of “user harm, addiction, etc in the next three months before a final decision is taken.” “This is a three-month trial approval of BGMI after it has complied with issues of server locations and data security, etc,” he said in a tweet.
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