Everyone has been excited about the arrival of PUBG Mobile. At that time, there was no optimised battle royale game like PUBG Mobile. Whether we look at graphics, storyline, or platform availability, everything is at its best in the genre. Likewise, PUBG Mobile has become the king of mobile games in the battle royale genre.
Later on, due to security concerns, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) banned it along with other Chinese apps. Luckily, developers introduced a rebranded version of PUBG Mobile called Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI). But, after a year of launch, BGMI got banned by MEITY as well. So, other gaming companies wrote a letter to PM Modi for fair treatment. Take a look below to see what exactly was written.
Gaming Companies Write to PM Modi: They Want Fair Treatment
When PUBG Mobile was banned, there was a long gap of months to get the rebranded version, called BGMI. During that time, numerous PUBG enthusiasts were disappointed, some lost their businesses, and overall, the gaming economy went down—all thanks to Krafton, who incorporated them as Indians and launched BGMI.
Even after the banning of PUBG Mobile, BGMI was launched in a way that fulfilled the desire every player had for PUBG Mobile because BGMI delivers almost the same experience. As of July 2022, BGMI has passed 100 million downloads on the Google Play Store. From such a figure, you can understand how BGMI became successful in India.
Unfortunately, BGMI faced the same fate as PUBG Mobile. Indeed, BGMI is also banned under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act of 2000. This act restricts Indian players from playing BGMI and its related activities. However, the Indian government has mentioned the purpose for which it has banned BGMI.
Even though Krafton Incorporated is an Indian company, if there is any security concern, the government should have taken measures at launch. However, banning such games after achieving blockbuster success in the gaming industry could harm the entire gaming economy. Other gaming companies should write a letter to PM Modi about this.
In the letter, companies asked PM Modi to provide uniform and fair treatment to all entities operating in India. Capital is critical to survival. Leading global companies and their experience are needed to build a rigid gaming ecosystem in India. For this, every stakeholder needs to know the basic standards for running any game in India.
Furthermore, at the end of the letter, they request the PM to take urgent action on the matter and provide a uniform policy for it. So none of the gaming companies will face such issues in the future. The letter has already been sent to the PM’s office. As of now, there has been no response from him. I expect some responses will be delivered soon.
Why is BGMI even Krafton Incorporated in India?
We know that Krafton Incorporated is based in Bengaluru, Karnataka. After that, they got permission from the government to launch BGMI. But why does the Indian government ban it after such approval? As of now, the government has not given any reason for banning such games. However, the Google Play Store statement says BGMI was removed from their store due to security concerns.
On the other hand, it could be possible that Tencent has a 13.5 per cent stake in Krafton. And Tencent’s involvement forced the Indian government to ban BGMI. Although the government could exclude it in the initial days, such a move was made after the game’s launch. However, Tencent’s involvement in Krafton could be the primary reason for the BGMI ban.
Will BGMI relaunch in India?
As you can see, other gaming companies wrote letters to PM Modi. They want to work with global gaming companies to maintain the gaming ecosystem in India. But if the government bans such leading games in India, then India might lose its gaming community. Even after writing such a letter, the PM has not responded yet.
It is expected that he will soon respond to the matter. Likely, some positive signs might relaunch BGMI in India. Meanwhile, everything depends on PM Modi’s response strictly on his views on the BGMI ban and the proposal to announce uniform policies for such gaming companies.
Conclusively, gaming companies wrote a letter to PM Modi requesting a uniform and standard policy in the country. So, any leading global company like BGMI could not face such ban issues in the future. The PM has yet to respond to such a letter. So, stay updated with us and the PM’s social media handles to get the latest updates.