PUBG alternative Battlegrounds Mobile India, popularly known as BGMI, appears to have been banned in India as the battle royale game was on Thursday (July 28) pulled from the Google Play store and Apple's App Store. BGMI was relaunched in India almost a year back after the immensely popular PUBG Mobile was banned by the Centre along with 117 other apps with Chinese connection as they were found to be “prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order.”
ABP Live could confirm that the battle royale game was not available on both Google Play store and Apple's App Store. Even as the battle royale game has been pulled from app stores, those who have the game already installed on their devices can still play it. However, there is no official statement from the IT Ministry on the game's delisting yet.
Confirming the removal of the game from Google Play store and Apple's App Store, BGMI parent Krafton told ABP Live, "We are clarifying how BGMI was removed from Google Play Store and the App Store and will let you know once we get specific information."
A Google India spokesperson also confirmed the development and said: "On receipt of an order, following established process, we have notified the affected developer and have blocked access to the app that remained available on the Play Store in India."
The game's delisting from Google and Apple's respective play stores comes weeks after BGMI parent, South Korea's Krafton Inc., announced that the game has surpassed 100 million registered users around the time it completed a year in India. BGMI was launched in India in 2021 with some tweaks and changes after PUBG Mobile was banned.