BGMI is coming back to app stores in India a year after ban

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Krafton said Friday that it will reintroduce the popular battle royale Battlegrounds Mobile India through Google and Apple’s app marketplaces. The South Korean company, which took over from Tencent Games after the ban on PUBG Mobile in 2020, said it has received approval from the Indian government to resume operations of BGMI and the launch will happen soon. Also Read — Battlegrounds Mobile India may return temporarily with certain conditions: Report

“We are highly grateful to the Indian authorities for allowing us to resume operations of BATTLEGROUNDS MOBILE INDIA (BGMI). We would like to extend our gratitude to our Indian gaming community for their support and patience over the past few months,” said Sean Hyunil Sohn, chief executive officer of Krafton India, in a prepared statement. “We are committed to delivering exceptional products and services to our users in India and beyond, and we look forward to continuing our journey with you.” Also Read — Krafton rolls out second update for Road to Valor: Empires as the game crosses 3.35 lakh downloads

By resuming operations, the company essentially means the Battlegrounds Mobile India apps will become available once again on the Google Play Store and Apple’s App Store. Last year, the Indian government ordered both app store owners to remove BGMI, but it never ordered the Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) to block access to the game. This was contrary to the ban orders imposed on the original battle royale, PUBG Mobile, in 2020 due to its linkage to China. Also Read — Google charges up to 30 percent commission on payments, Indian gaming CEOs call for government intervention

That means that BGMI was never unavailable to play. Those who had it