BGMI or Battlegrounds Mobile India was recently removed from Google Play Store and Apple App Store following government orders. This removal came as a shocker for all gaming and esports communities. The same happened back in 2020 when PUBG mobile was banned without prior knowledge. Everyone was wishing that the BGMI ban is not underway and the problem is fixed with an alternative solution. With Krafton’s hearing today in India’s court of law, everyone’s eyes were on the verdict. The decision came out as a heartbreaker for everyone. BGMI has received a temporary ban under section 69a IT act.
Bgmi ban
While it is currently unclear why the government ordered to block BGMI, it comes just a year after Krafton launched the game in the country.
The app was also unavailable on Apple App Store from late evening of July 28 in India. The Korean game developer confirmed BGMI
— _P_ri_y_a_n_s_h_9_6_0_ (@priyanshMahawar) July 29, 2022
The worse news for the eSports community is the Indian teams who had won slots in PMGC cannot play the tournament anymore. After Post ban of the game, the Indian slots in the tournament have been cancelled. Big teams like the fan favourite Team Soul, 7Seas esports, and Orangutan had gained a slot in the tournament and had high hopes following.
What Is Section 69a IT Act?
Section 69a IT act gives the Central government the power to block public access to any information online. Whether on websites or mobile apps. Under Section 69A, if a website threatens India’s defence, its sovereignty and integrity, friendly relations with foreign countries and public order. The government can ban it, after following due procedure.
The same act had ruled the PUBG Mobile ban. The act came into place because according to the Indian government. Krafton Games was selling the sensitive information of BGMI players to Chinese companies. With the tension between China and India going on, the incident took place at a very wrong time.
Will BGMI Ever Get Unbanned?
The future looks in uttermost darkness as PUBG never got unbanned since the ban in 2020. However, BGMI was replaced by PUBG. So there might be chances that we get some other game that can follow the code of conduct given by the Indian Government.
The other possibility of the game getting unbanned is if Krafton proves that they were not selling sensitive information to Chinese companies the game might get unbanned soon.
However, we should not forget this is just a temporary ban and not a permanent one. So we should not lose hopes and wish that the game is unbanned or restored soon.
