BGMI ban in India: Community reaction, ban date, and more

BGMI was released in 2021 as the Indian variant of the popular battle royale title, PUBG Mobile. Over time, it emerged as a crowd-favorite game, amassing over 100 million downloads within a year of its release.

However, much to the disappointment of gamers across the country, Battlegrounds Mobile India was delisted from the virtual stores of both Google and Apple on July 28, 2022. The famous companies acted on the instructions of the Indian government (MEITY), which found malicious codes in the app that led to a potential security breach of user data.

The incident left the entire Indian gaming community in shock and disappointment as it halted esports' growth in India.

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How did popular BGMI influencers react to game's removal from virtual stores?

Jonathan Amaral, the popular BGMI athlete, took to his Twitter account to mention how, as an esports player, he is suffering from uncertainty.

He urged Krafton to provide an update on the issue that could clear the prevailing uncertainty.

Popular streamer Mortal also tweeted via his verified handle, showing disappointment and outrage over the sudden decision. He requested MEITY to look into the matter and resolve it.

In another tweet, the online star mentioned how Krafton is working on the issue and trying its best to get the title back on the virtual stores.

Former pro player and current coach of GodLike Esports, Ghatak, has always been vocal about the growth of esports in the country. Since the title's ban, he has been continuously active on his popular Twitter account, where he has posted several tweets about the game being potentially banned in the country.

In his tweets, he focused on the need for Battlegrounds Mobile India within the Indian gaming community, as it has always played a huge role in the rise of esports and gaming in the country.

He added that banning the popular title could never be the solution and that the concerned authorities should keep in mind that lots of people earn their livelihood from BGMI, all of which could be at stake if it is permanently banned.

A few days ago, Ghatak posted a cryptic tweet, hinting at the title's possible return to the virtual stores. He highlighted that things would eventually work out, but "it will take some time."

Meanwhile, influencers like Shiva Nandy (CEO of Skyesports) and Towqeer Gilkar (co-founder of Stalwart Esports) took to their Instagram handles to assure their audience that the game was on its way back.

While Shiva compared TikTok's comeback to BGMI and mentioned that both would be back in the Indian market soon, Towqeer attended a meeting and informed fans that BGMI might make a comeback within a month.

On the other hand, the game's servers are still online, and many pro players (including Battlegrounds Mobile India partners like Dynamo and Snax) are livestreaming the game. However, many users have shifted to titles like New State Mobile and Apex Legends Mobile.

It remains to be seen when the concerned authorities can finally settle the matter and get Battlegrounds Mobile India back to the virtual stores for Indian gamers to resume playing.