ESports
Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) set for India return after 10-month ban
The game, which was banned 10 months earlier by the government, had surpassed 100 million registered users in July 2022.
BGMI
Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI), one of the most notable battle royale gaming titles of Krafton is all set to return to India’s Esports market and take the sector by storm.
The game, which was banned 10 months earlier by the government, had surpassed 100 million registered users in July 2022 and was one of the biggest revenue-generating Android apps in the country until its suspension.
BGMI scaled a number of milestones in the Indian Esports industry which included becoming the first Esports title to be broadcasted as part of a tournament on mainstream television (Star Sports) where it attracted 24 million concurrent viewers and a total of 200 million viewers.
“The long-awaited return of BGMI after a 10-month hiatus is a much-needed boost for the Esports community in our country. We express our gratitude to the government of India for bringing back the game for the nation's passionate gaming audience and promoting the Esports ecosystem through this development.
While the game is set to undergo certain changes to ensure a safe and enjoyable gaming experience for users upon its comeback on a trial period, it is encouraging to see the government bringing these safety measures for the youth of the country.
With Esports getting official recognition from the government and the community adapting well to the absence of BGMI by expanding other titles, we eagerly anticipate the exponential growth that the sector will experience now that the game is back in the picture,” said Mr Lokesh Suji, Director, Esports Federation of India & Vice President of the Asian Esports Federation (AESF).
Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar, who oversees Entrepreneurship, Skill Development, Electronics & Technology in the country, said on Twitter that this return was a three-month trial period.
"This is a 3 month trial approval of BGMI after it has complied with issues of server locations, data security, etc. We will keep a close watch on other issues of User harm, Addiction etc in next 3 months before a final decision is taken," he said.
Apart from the publisher's official tournaments, plenty of Indian Esports organizations were also organizing multiple BGMI tournaments with massive prize pools. The game is a major revenue source for Esports organizations, teams, live streamers, Esports players, and gaming content creators in India.
