DNA Explainer: Why and how BGMI was restricted in India

The Indian government has now blacklisted the PUBG-like battle royale game Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI), which has 100 million users in India. Two years ago, the Indian government blocked many Chinese apps, including PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), due to national security concerns. 

Late this month, digital giants Google and Apple removed the BGMI gaming software from their respective online shops in response to the government directive. 

Here is a chronological breakdown of how and why the BGMI game was removed from the local Google and Apple app stores, although the government has not yet released an official statement regarding the ban. 

The relaunch of PUBG Mobile in India under the new name "PUBG Mobile India" was first made public in November 2020. 

The South Korean game company Krafton introduced BGMI in 2021, exclusively for gamers in India, a year after PUBG was banned. 

To relaunch PUBG Mobile in the nation, PUBG Studios and the South Korean video game developer Krafton registered PUBG India Private Ltd under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs. 

Following the early beta release for Android users in June 2021, controversy broke out when it was discovered that data from users' Android devices were being transmitted to Tencent-owned China servers. 

After discovering the data-sharing infraction, Krafton released an upgrade to address the data-sharing problem with servers located in China. 

In May 2021, according to Krafton, the BGMI game will be released. On July 2 for Android smartphones and August 18 for iOS devices, the game was eventually made available.

The number of registered users on BGMI has crossed 100 million in just one year. To create a strong gaming start-up ecosystem, Krafton reported investing up to $100 million in India's domestic video game, e-sports, and entertainment firms last year. 

According to experts, the BGMI was still under the background supervision of China-based Tencent in its so-called new avatar,' making it no different from the original PUBG. 

In a letter to the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Information Technology in February of this year, the non-profit organisation Prahar requested that the "Chinese app BGMI" be blocked under section 69A of the Information Technology Act because it "threatens the sovereignty and integrity of India, the defence of India, the security of the state, and public order." 

On July 28, the tech goliaths removed the well-known battle royale game from each of their different app stores under the government's directive. Users who have the app installed, however, can play the game. Krafton CFO Bae Dong-Geun said the business appreciates and understands the Indian government's concern during the company's quarterly earnings call on Thursday. 

"We have been directly running the service based on stringent data security standards and monitoring. We will closely cooperate with the authorities to find ways for the users in India to keep enjoying BGMI," Dong-Geun said.

Some gaming businesses have written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking for "fair treatment" to support the development of the gaming ecosystem in the nation after the government ordered Google and Apple to ban BGMI. 

Over 270 Chinese apps have currently been blocked by the authorities. A number of these apps tried to enter India under different names but were once more banned.