Is Krafton's BGMI returning to India in January 2023?
The Indian government banned the second coming of PUBG, Battle Grounds India (BGMI), in July this year. Now, it seems that an imminent return is on the cards for Krafton's popular battle royale game. Per some popular gaming content creators, the game will be back on Android next month. There has been no official announcement regarding the same.
Why does this story matter?
BGMI entered India's gaming scene in 2021. Its purpose was to fulfill the void left by PUBG, and it did exactly the same. The game soon became a fan favorite. It also played an important part in shaping esports in India. Fans of the game have been waiting for its return. If the rumors are true, they are in for a New Year's treat.
BGMI's return was disclosed on Alpha Clasher's livestream
During Pratik "Alpha Clasher" Jogiya's recent BGMI livestream, he was joined by another gamer named predatorsasuke. The latter claimed that he worked at Google and revealed the tentative relaunch date of BGMI on Google Play. He said, "you'd be very happy, BGMI will launch on Google Play Store on 15th January; it is a tentative date."
Hector Shaikh confirmed the return of BGMI
Following Alpha Clasher's livestream, a viewer asked Sohail "Hector" Shaikh about the return of BGMI. To this, he replied, "the game is going to return in January, someone from Google said this. I don't know this personally, but I have heard this." "That person is someone important in the Google community; he is someone in a leadership position," he added.
BGMI was banned over alleged safety and privacy concerns
BGMI was delisted from Google Play Store and App Store following a government order. The government, however, did not issue a ban on the game's servers. The game was banned over alleged safety and privacy concerns. There have also been allegations that BGMI is nothing but rebranded PUBG. The company has been in conversation with the government regarding the game's return.
