PUBG ban India Archives - Gizmochina

BGMI won’t get banned in India: PIL update

Sudhanshu — Fri, 04 Mar 2022 20:20:33 +0000

Recently, a public interest litigation was filed in Telangana High Court in February seeking the ban of mobile gaming app Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI).

The PIL which was filed by Advocate Anil Stevenson Jangam, called for the ban of the extremely popular battle royale title, claiming that the game was essentially just PUBG Mobile under a different name, ‘BGMI’.

The PIL claimed that the earlier banned ‘PUBG Mobile’ and ‘BGMI’ are essentially the same applications and it also stated that Tencent and publisher Krafton had employed the process of front companies to hide the app’s Chinese ties and hoodwink Indian Authorities.

For those unaware, the game PUBG was banned in India citing Chinese ties specifically its publisher Tencent which is one of the biggest game companies in the world, based in China.

The game was re-launched under the name, Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) after the ban with a few changes by the South Korean publisher Krafton in India.

In response to the PIL, the representative of (Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology) MeitY N. Samaya Balan responded to Telangana High court and assured the public that the two apps ‘PUBG Mobile’ and ‘BGMI’ are different. The affidavit filed by Balan confirmed that the two applications – ‘PUBG Mobile’ and ‘BGMI’ are not, in fact, the same app. The affidavit later also explained that only the government has the ability and power to restrict computer access.

The response by Meity towards the PIL on BGMI suggests that the game will not be banned any time in the future.

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Indian Judge wants BGMI, Free Fire banned, suggest stricter gaming laws like China

Sean — Thu, 05 Aug 2021 12:09:58 +0000

An Indian Judge has recently written to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to ban BGMI (Battlegrounds Mobile India) and Free Fire in India. The Judge also suggested that the government should adopt the stricter gaming laws, similar to China.

The Indian Judge is ADJ Naresh Kumar Laka who recently wrote a letter to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to ban “PUBG India” (BGMI) and Garena Free Fire. He added that “The population of the country applauded your decision in banning the infamous game PUBG Mobile, which has had a disastrous negative impact on children’s development. But, like the earlier PUBG, two comparable apps, Free Fire (Garena Free Fire – Rampage) and PUBG India (Battlegrounds Mobile India), are now having a negative impact on children.”

The Judge has raised concerns about the negative effects of these online games and added that both titles are currently available for download on Google Play and should be banned as soon as possible. Furthermore, the Judge also said that the government should adopt laws that limit children’s exposure to such online video games. Laka even brought up regulations in China that limits children’s (under the age of 18) access to video games to 90 minutes per day.

Battlegrounds Mobile India can’t be banned before its launch: Indian Ministry

Sean — Wed, 16 Jun 2021 10:34:43 +0000

Recently, Battlegrounds Mobile India came under scrutiny from government officials over the security risks the game posed in India. While some wanted the game to be banned even before its launch, it seems that this might not be possible for now.

As part of my research on predatory practise of Chinese companies in India and it's impact on National Security, had filed an RTI about the relaunch of PUBG Mobile in India by Krafton (in which the Chinese behemoth has the second largest stake). pic.twitter.com/WL5rkThdOb

— Dr Gaurav Tyagi (@drtyagigaurav) June 13, 2021

According to a TechRadar report, a response from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has offered us some clarity regarding this matter. As per a series of tweets from Dr. Gaurav Tyagi, the one that filed an RTI regarding the game’s launch, the ministry has clarified that the title cannot be banned from the country before its launch in India. Although, it further added that the game could face a ban under section 69A of the Informations Technology Act, 2000, once it has launched in the region.

The IT Ministry also stated that the “Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology has no role in granting any permission for entry of PUBG or any company/Mobile app in India.” In simpler terms, Krafton INC, the studio behind the popular battle royale IP, is clear to launch the game in India, but risks facing a ban after its eventual release. This also implies that it has a short while to fix or address any issues that might have it face a ban by the local government.

Interestingly, Tyagi stated that if Krafton was allowed to go forward with its launch of Battlegrounds Mobile India, it might prompt other banned companies to follow a similar strategy as “TikTok, WeChat can just change their name and structure and re-launch without addressing the underlying security issues.” As of right now, the game’s exact launch date has yet to be revealed, but pre-registration for the game has been live since 18th May 2021. So stay tuned for more updates.

Battlegrounds Mobile India faces scrutiny from govt officials over security risks

Sean — Mon, 07 Jun 2021 12:33:09 +0000

Krafton has been facing increasing scrutiny by Indian government officials just prior to the launch of Battlegrounds Mobile India. The new title is the relaunch of the previously banned game, PUBG Mobile that was ported by Tencent.

According to a ZeeNews report, Indian Parliament member Arvind Dharampuri has written to IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad regarding the upcoming release of Battlegrounds Mobile India. This letter was sent earlier this month and stated that Dharampuri has received representation against Battlegrounds Mobile India by social activist Sai Kumar. The letter doesn’t call for a ban for the game outright, but rather, points at certain issues brought to Dharampuri that are quite serious, and should warrant a closer look by the government.

The information from Sai Kumar regarding the new game added that while developer Krafton has promised data security by having all data stored in India and Singapore, it will also allow international data transfers. Furthermore, the game’s terms of service will be governed by the laws of South Korea, which is where Krafton Inc is based. Dharampuri further asked the Union Minister to take a close look at Krafton’s investments and agreements with Tencent over security concerns.

For those unaware, there have been calls for the ban of the game in India ever since its announcement last month. Back in May 2021, Arunachal Pradesh MLA Ninong Ering called for the ban of the game along with MP Abhishek Singhvi as it would enable Tencent to re-enter the Indian market. That is all the information we have at the moment, so stay tuned for more updates.

PUBG Corp to take over PUBG Mobile from Tencent in India after Ban

Sean — Tue, 08 Sep 2020 10:15:31 +0000

PUBG Corporation, the ones behind the original successful battle royale PC title, has decided to no longer authorize Tencent from running the PUBG Mobile franchise in India.

According to an official statement earlier this week, the company will be taking over all of its publishing within the country. The move arrives just shortly after the local government banned the massively popular mobile game title due to alleged national security risks due to Tencent Games’ ties with the Chinese government. The country had previously banned 60 apps earlier this year and has recently also banned an additional 118 Chinese applications as well.

Notably, last week, Tencent said that it would be working with Indian authorities to ensure the continued availability of the application in India. In other words, comply with any issue to make sure that it is still available for its broad number of users. However, PUBG Corporation, the developer of the title, has now decided to take the rein in the mobile title themselves in the region.

In the statement on their website, the company said that “Moving forward, PUBG Corporation will take on all publishing responsibilities within the country, As the company explores ways to provide its own PUBG experience for India in the near future, it is committed to doing so by sustaining a localized and healthy gameplay environment for its fans.” At the moment, PUBG Mobile is one of the most promising fields of esports in the country and is also a source of livelihood for many streamers. Thus, the news might come as a great relief for many players as well if the government decides to roll back its decision. So stay tuned for more updates.

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India’s PUBG ban claims first casualty as 21-year-old boy commits suicide

Jed John Ikoba — Tue, 08 Sep 2020 03:12:04 +0000

The Indian government on September 3 announced the ban on 118 Chinese apps, including the mobile game ” PlayerUnknown’s Battleground (PUBG Mobile). Among the recently banned apps, PUBG Mobile is very popular in India. Thus, the ban was seen as a disappointment by tens of millions of local players.

There has been an outpour of outrage by fans of the game. However, an extreme and tragic incident occurred when a 21-year-old student chose to hang himself because he could not continue playing games. Domestic media reports that the police in the Nadia district of West Bengal, India, announced on September 6 that a 21-year-old student, Pritam Halder, was found to hanged himself at home due to his inability to continue playing “PUBG Mobile” due to the government’s ban.

This tragedy reportedly happened on the morning of September 4. According to his mother, Halder returned to his room after breakfast and when he called him for lunch, he found that his room was locked from the inside. With the help of neighbours, the door was broken and unfortunately found the deceased hanging from the ceiling fan.

Halder’s mother said that he was obviously frustrated because he couldn’t play games: “He used to play games at night. I think he committed suicide because he couldn’t continue playing PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds.”

After talking with Halder’s family, the police also believed that he committed suicide because he could not play this mobile game.

In another case, a 16-year-old boy from a village in Anand district in Ahmedabad committed suicide after he was scolded by his father who also seized his mobile phone for playing PUBG Mobile all the time, News18 reports. The local Police say that the boy was the son of a school teacher and allegedly consumed pesticide kept at his house on August 31. After rushing the boy to Anand Civil Hospital for immediate treatment, doctors declared him dead the next day.

In addition to PlayerUnknown’s Battleground, the 118 apps that India announced to be banned include WeChat Work, WeChat reading, Sina news, mobile Taobao, Youku, Alipay, CamCard, Baidu, Cut Cut, VooV, Tencent Weiyun, Rise of Kingdoms, Zakzak and others.

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