Krafton recently announced Battlegrounds Mobile India. The much-awaited game is expected to release soon in India. The pre-registration for the PUBG Mobile India replacement recently went live. Ahead of its release, politicians in India are seeking a ban on the game. Among the list of politicians requesting a ban on the game is former Union Minister and current Arunachal Pradesh MLA Ninong Erin. He wrote to the Prime Minister stating that the game’s release is a threat to the privacy and security of Indians. Another Member of Parliament, Abhishek Singhvi, tweeted that the game’s release is Tencent’s re-entry in India. Let’s take a look at more details on ministers seeking a ban on Battlegrounds Mobile India.
Indian politicians seek ban of Battlegrounds Mobile India days after its pre-registrations begin
Krafton could soon announce the Battlegrounds Mobile India launch date. Ahead of its release, Indian politicians want the game banned.
The PUBG Mobile replacement is expected to release in June 2021. Krafton has not yet confirmed the official release date of the popular game. Even before the game is available for download, it has been surrounded by a new controversy. Indian politicians are seeking a ban on the game as it threatens the privacy and security of Indian citizens. The request was made by the former Union Minister and current Arunachal Pradesh MLA Ninong Erin. The MLA wrote to the PM seeking an immediate ban and “not allow Chinese deception.”
Requested @PMOIndia @narendramodi ji to not allow Chinese deception #BattlegroundsMobileIndia. It is a big threat to security of India & privacy of our citizens and a way to circumvent & disregard our laws.@AmitShah #IndiaBanBattlegrounds #NationFirst #AatmaNirbharBharat @ANI pic.twitter.com/H8nzUJ4aRk
— Ninong Ering (@ninong_erring) May 22, 2021
PUBG Mobile was banned last year in India citing data security concerns. The developers made several attempts to get the ban lifted and relaunch the game. However, authorities refused to do so. Krafton announced that it will develop a new India-specific game and launch it soon. The company also invested $22.4 million in Indian esports firm Nodwin Gaming.
Recently developments have confirmed that Battlegrounds Mobile India is just a rebadged version of PUBG Mobile India. The game developers reportedly did not remove PUBG Mobile from the URL of Battleground Mobile India’s pre-registration page.
Does this mean that the game will get banned?
An IGN India report, citing sources, claims that there wouldn’t be any problem with Battlegrounds Mobile India so as long as Krafton follows the rules set forth in terms of data and privacy. These could include opening data centres and keeping the data of Indian users within the country.
It further states that developers do not need the approval of government authorities to launch a game in India. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and Ministry of Electronics and IT (MEITY) take a call to ban a game or app if it does not comply with the country’s rules and regulations. Krafton has made announcements of complying to the local regulations. If it does follow these rules, chances are that the game will release soon in India.
