In 2020, while the whole world suffered from the harsh realities of COVID, there was one thing that brought the whole world together and helped friends spend quality time together from miles away – games. At such a point in time when games such as PUBG mobile and Garena Free Fire were soaring in popularity, these games along with more than 270 apps were banned by the Indian government. While their rival applications tried to swoop in and fill the hole left by others, several of these apps returned to India with new branding and identities.
The ban on these games was implemented citing privacy concerns. The developers were charged with sending user data from Indian users to servers in other nations. The government claims that this was a security breach. The decision to outlaw Chinese apps was made at the same time that India and the Chinese army were engaged in combat in the Galwan Valley.
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The prolonged nature of the ban prompted the birth of BGMI. A major source of disagreement was Krafton’s assertion that it had severed all ties with Tencent about the game. Garena also brought in the Garena Free Fire Max after Garena Free Fire was banned. In an attempt to reduce the violent features of the game, BGMI also added some new gameplay mechanics. For example, the word “Kills” was changed to “Finishes” and the red blood spatter after shooting an opponent was changed to green. Although there were a few minor adjustments, the overall experience of the game remained the same.
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Despite Krafton’s efforts to keep the game alive after the ban, on 28th July, BGMI was banned by the Indian government under Section 69A of the IT Act, and it has been alleged that the game is transferring Indian players’ data to Chinese servers. Several media sources later revealed that the game was prohibited under the same interim law that had previously barred PUBG Mobile. Garena Free Fire Max was banned as well for the same reasons. Since Krafton had released the game in compliance with all Indian laws, this ban raises concerns about the future of e-sports in India.
