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BGMI Banned in India: Here’s What Google and Krafton Said.

The most addictive and famous game, Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI), is removed from the Google Play Store and Apple App Store after a Government order. Despite its disappearance from app stores, it will run on the devices it is already installed on. This game was the altered version of PUBG (PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds) which was a battle royal game, developed by Krafton. BGMI had over 100 million registered users in the country just after a year it was relaunched after PUBG was deemed illegal in India.

In 2020, the Indian government banned twenty Chinese apps and it was on the list of banned apps because of its involvement with the Chinese game development firm Tencent Games. Those apps were banned due to security risk reasons.

An NGO, PRAHAR, has requested the government to ban the Chinese gaming application BGMI in February 2020 and to enlist it in the fifty-four Chinese app list, stating its unavailability in the list is a “clear lapse in judgement on part of the Government”.
Source: www.news18.com

RSS, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh confederate Swadeshi Jagran Manch, has also supported PRAHAR’s request and urged for an investigation on antecedents and Chinese influence on BGMI, according to a report by IANS.

Google has officially announced that it has received an official order for the removal of BGMI from the India Government and Krafton confirmed the same.

Google in a statement said, “On receipt of the 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.”
Source: www.91mobiles.com

Why It Is Banned?

Meanwhile, Krafton said, “we are clarifying how BGMI was removed from Google Play and will let you know once we get specific information.”
Source: www.91mobiles.com

While there is not any proper statement or reason given for its ban, #BGMI, and #BGMIban hashtags are trending on Twitter. It seems to have connected to the violent incidents happening. Recently, there was an incident where a 16-year-old boy shot and killed his mother only because of some argument over online games such as PUBG. The incident was under investigation.

While some reports mentioned the reason as the same as PUBG Mobile, the government is distressed about the issues regarding data transmigration and its connection to the Chinese firms. The real reason will be soon disclosed by the government.

Rajeev Chandrashekhar, Union Minister, also noted that banned apps such as PUBG, which were banned in India, are resurfacing in new forms targeting BGMI, as it was also launched as the latest version of PUBG Mobile.

BGMI has been the most renowned app among Chinese apps that was rebranded and relaunched with similar features and managed to stay out of government eyes. Maybe because of its high popularity among gamers.

Its developer Krafton seemed to have invested about 100 million U.S dollars for the development and relaunching of BGMI and an esports ecosystem over the past years in India. So, the ban of this game will be a big blow to it in India. It will also affect the gaming market in India. The firm recently declared surpassing 100 million registered android and Ios users. chief Executive officer of Krafton, Changhan Kim, said

“India is an important market for Krafton. We are positive about the opportunities in the country and are committed to create a robust gaming ecosystem. Our focus is pivoted towards constantly elevating the mobile gaming experience for our growing community and invest in the flourishing start-up landscape here”.
Source: gadgets360.com

Suhani Jain

I am a student pursuing my bachelor’s in information technology. I have a interest in writing so, I am working a freelance content writer because I enjoy writing. I also write poetries. I believe in the quote by anne frank “paper has more patience than person

Krafton Inc, The Company Behind The Famous PUBG Game.

Founded in 2007 as Bluehole, Krafton Inc. creates, produces, and markets home video games domestically and abroad. It provides games for consoles, smartphones, and PCs. It’s one of the most popular games is PUBG. Other popular games developed and published by Krafton are Mistover, Thunder Tier One, The Callisto Protocol, and New State Mobile.

About The Company

Krafton Inc. is a South Korean company that is in the business of developing and distributing video games. The company is renowned for creating TERA, PUBG: Battlegrounds, and NEW STATE Mobile, the latter two under its subsidiary PUBG Studios. The company was formerly known as Bluehole. In 2018, Bluehole underwent a reorganization to become a Krafton subsidiary. It is headquartered in Seongnam, South Korea.

History

Following PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds’ popularity, which resulted in funding from Tencent Holdings as well as studio expansion and acquisition, Bluehole decided to create Krafton in 2018 as a holding company for its video games operations. In April 2021, Krafton decided to launch its IPO. The company intended to raise US$5 billion at a valuation of US$27.2billion.The IPO launch took place on August 10, 2021, and although Krafton’s valuation declined from the initial list price at the end of a trade by 8.8%, it was still valued at US$19.32 billion.

Due to new limitations put in place by the Chinese government, shares of various Chinese and foreign videogame firms, including Tencent, the leading video game developer in China and a facilitator for foreign firms to release games in their country, decreased. Video games, mainly shooting video games, are perceived as “electronic drug” and a “spiritual opium” by the Chinese government because they are believed to encourage violence. Due to its high population density, China is a critically valuable market for video games, so video game firms like Krafton suffered greatly.

Subsidiaries

Since its inception, Bluehole has bought a number of development studios. On November 5, 2018, Krafton Game Union became the new parent company for all its subsidiaries. The popular subsidiaries of Krafton are Bluehole Studio, Striking Distance Studios, Dreamotion Inc, RisingWings, PUBG Studios, Thingsflow, 5minlab Corporation, and Unknown Worlds Entertainment. PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG), one of the first battle royale games, was created by PUBG Studios (formerly PUBG Corporation), an internal studio of Bluehole. PUBG game set a new record in 2017 by selling $100 million before release copies in just 79 days. Due to concerns about data privacy, the Indian government banned PUBG Mobile in September 2020, along with several other apps made by Chinese companies, including Tencent Games. In order to relaunch the game in India, Krafton regained ownership of the game’s Intellectual Property (IP) from Tencent. In 2021, Battlegrounds Mobile India, a visually upgraded version of PUBG Mobile, was released for both Android and iOS. This time, Krafton, Inc. published the game.

Founder – Chang Byung-gyu

In 2007, Chang Byung-Gyu founded Krafton, initially known as Bluehole. Chang Byung-gyu started Bluehole Studio in Seoul in 2007. Along with seven other co-founders, Chang founded Neowiz in 1997. He later founded the search engine company, First Snow, in 2005 and sold that business in 2006. Tencent made a $500 million investment in Bluehole in 2018 for a 10% ownership, elevating the company to unicorn status. As per Forbes, Chang is one of South Korea’s seven gaming billionaires, with a net worth of over $2.9 billion.

CEO – Kim Chang-han

In 2020, Kim Chang-han was named the CEO of Krafton. Before that, he was the CEO of PUBG Corporation( now PUBG Studios). He started his career in the gaming industry in 2000, engaging in production, development, and engineering for a couple of studios before joining PUBG Corporation. He has attended the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, where he received a Ph.D. in computer science.

Sandhya Gupta

I am a law graduate from NLU Lucknow. I have a flair for creative writing and hence in my free time work as a freelance content writer.

Battlegrounds Mobile India July Update Is Now Available, Including Mission Ignition Mode, Tesla Gigafactory, and Other Features

Leave a Comment / News, Tech News / By Team YTS

The first content update since its official release on 2 July has been received by Battlegrounds Mobile India, the PUBG Mobile Indian avatar. The update introduces Mission Ignition, a new time-limited mode, and a new weapon called MG3. The new Royale Pass Month system was also updated for Battlegrounds Mobile India. In addition to the Content Update, the developer Kafton has announced that its Gigafactory will be part of Tesla’s partnership on the Erangel map of the royal game.

Mission Ignition Mode in Battlegrounds Mobile India

The MG3 gun has continuous firepower and a 6x scope. It fires 7.62mm ammo and has a magazine that can hold up to 75 bullets with each reload. Players are also given healing consumables that they can use from the trajectory slot.
The Battlegrounds Mobile India update adds a new Mission Ignition mode to the Erangel map alongside an MG3 gun and healing consumables. The Erangel map contains six new locations. The hyperlines mode also automatically carries transport players from area to area.

Updates In Settings And Systems

The Battlegrounds Mobile India version 1.5.0, which was briefly demonstrated in a video released last week, improves gameplay with the addition of a new MG3 light machine gun (LMG). The M249 can be placed on a supply box and obtained by airdrops playing both Classic maps and the Karakin map. The older M249 LMG has been removed from airdrops and is now only available in field drops. The gun will be available for looting directly on the map.

Krafton has updated the settings, allowing players to change the gyroscope sensitivity as well as a dedicated 90fps option for newer devices. Gamers using low-end devices can also select a new graphic option that is less than smooth. The improved settings in Battlegrounds Mobile India now allow you to customize the sensitivity of your guns. In the third-person perspective, you can also adjust your camera angle (TPP).
The update of Battlegrounds Mobile India also includes the free Events section for Sand Bottle Exchange. Players can earn sand bottles and swipe for prizes by doing the challenges. There are also new events that take place such as Damage Missions, Movement Missions, and some new Mission Ignition Events.
There is a new Royale Pass Month system called RPM1 for people who want to use Royale passes. According to Krafton, each Royale Pass Month lasts 30 days and costs 360UC, with the highest rank achievable limited to 50. Adding to this, they have included a Challenge Point System to give rewards to players for their good behavior, and for not firing on friendlies. This particular change is said to have been implemented in response to initial player feedback.

Tesla Gigafactory And Production Of Model Y

Krafton also has a partnership with Tesla, and Battlegrounds Mobile India will now sponsor Tesla’s Gigafactory in four fixed locations across the Erangel map. Players can enter any of the featured Gigafactories and witness the creation of a Tesla Model Y from beginning to end. They will also have the opportunity to drive away in the new car and use its autopilot feature. Furthermore, self-driving Tesla Semi trucks will be available on rural roads and will automatically follow predetermined routes. Players can cause the trucks’ supply boxes to drop and obtain combat supplies by inflicting damage on them.

Clan Clash

Besides the partnership between Tesla and Clan Clash, Krafton has added Clan Clash in a battlefield with Battlefields Mobile India. Download the Battlegrounds Mobile India update from the Google Play store to see all of the latest changes and additions. The update comes only days after 34 million registered users have reached Battlegrounds Mobile India. It is also claimed that the game has 16 million daily active users and 2.4 million peak concurrent users.

Team YTS

First Impressions of Battlegrounds Mobile India: PUBG Mobile Similarities and Differences (Early Access)

Leave a Comment / Gaming, News, Tech News / By Team YTS

Battlegrounds Mobile India Early Access launched on Thursday, with the Battlegrounds Mobile India game available in beta through Google Play. We were able to obtain it and play a full match. It’s clear that Battlegrounds Mobile India is essentially PUBG Mobile with a few minor tweaks, which we’ll go over shortly. We don’t know how long the open beta will last or when it will be released, as it was made available just ahead of the previously scheduled June 18 release date. Here is the initial thoughts on the Battlegrounds Mobile India Early Access build.

If you’re a fan of PUBG Mobile, you’ll feel right at home when you launch Battlegrounds Mobile India on your Android device. You are greeted with the same home screen and background music as in PUBG Mobile after logging in or creating an account with your previous PUBG Mobile credentials. The best part is that you can import your in-game data from PUBG Mobile. We will soon publish the how-to. Interestingly, there were prompts asking if the player was over the age of 18 and if they were in India, and unfortunately, it appears that you can do this as simply as ‘yes’ without needing any verification.

We immediately entered Erangel with the Traverse – Insectoid theme from Season 19 and heard the safe gaming narration stating that this is a simulation, that it does not represent real life, and that we should not spend long hours playing. This appears to happen every time you start a match of Battlegrounds Mobile India. Unsurprisingly, the match was filled with bots, with not a single real player to be found. It was like reliving the early days of PUBG Mobile.

The Erangel map in Battlegrounds Mobile India is the same as the one in PUBG Mobile, and you can pick up familiar weapons and equipment with the same customizable controls. The game, which is only available in India, has the advantage of being a quick and smooth experience with no lags, frame drops, or ping issues. However, the experience may differ slightly when actual players on the same server are present.

Battlegrounds Mobile India retains the same maps, weapons, game mechanics, and overall appeal as PUBG Mobile, but is repackaged for Indian users. It does, however, make a few minor changes. The game’s blood is now green rather than red. At the top left, where the number of players who are “Alive” and the number of players you “killed” is displayed, “Alive” and “Finished” are now displayed. Another precaution in the name of safety? Battlegrounds Mobile India does not allow you to select a server because the option has been disabled. It is unknown whether or not this option will be available in the future.

As previously stated, Krafton opened beta testing for Battlegrounds Mobile India for a limited number of users on Thursday, and we were able to gain access to the game.

Battlegrounds Mobile India required 6.06GB of storage on the device we tested it on (OnePlus 7 Pro) and is currently at version 1.4.0. It needs permission to access the phone’s storage, and no other permissions were requested. If you use in-game chat, you will be asked to grant microphone access. Krafton has not yet announced a release date for the game, and it is unclear how long it will be in open beta.

Team YTS

FAU-G – India’s Very Own Shooter-Game Up for Pre-Registration on Google Play Store.

Leave a Comment / News, Tech News / By Athulya

FAU-G, which is a mobile game that Indians have been looking on with a lot of excitement, has finally come up live on the Google Play Store. While the game is not ready for download yet, gamers can now pre-register for the game, which will be out soon. The Indian public has been waiting patiently for what they believe to be India’s most high-profile made-in-India shooter game. Indians believe that FAU-G will rival PUBG in popularity, and see it as an Indian-made alternative to the viral Chinese shooting game. Let us now take a closer look at the game’s launch on the Google Play Store and what this means for Indian gamers.

FAU-G Up for Pre-Registration

FAU-G had to battle through multiple changes in its launching date and delays to appear on the Google Play Store finally. However, the developers have plans to launch only an Android version initially, and later expand to newer markets. Additionally, the listing on the Play Store helps in expanding on the storyline more than what the teaser initially did. The plans for such a game came out two days after India banned over 118 Chinese apps way back in September. However, the game has been marketed as more than just a replacement for PUBG Mobile India. Most Indians acknowledge that the game is a patriotic one as its developers will contribute a share of their earnings to the armed forces.

FAU-G Gameplay

FAU-G stands for Fearless and United Guards, and users who sign up for the pre-registration will receive a notification when the game drops on the Play Store. Also, all eligible devices which have signed up will automatically download and install the game. However, the developers have not revealed details regarding the game’s size and other technical details. The listing does give a brief outline of the basic gameplay that FAU-G will follow and the storyline it will stick to, which follows closely what gamers saw in the teaser. As expected, the game will in some ways emulate the clashes that occurred in the Galwan Valley between the Indian and Chinese armed forces. The scenario described on Google Play Store emphasizes that the game will focus on Indian soldiers posted on India’s northern borders. The characters will go by the name FAU-G commandos, which will serve as an elite Indian wing of soldiers who patrol the most dangerous territories.

FAU-G Development

Bangalore-based gaming company nCore Games have been developing FAU-G. The company has been partnering with Bollywood actor and celebrity Akshay Kumar, and the first trailer for the game went live on October 25th. While the game was to drop by the end of October, the team ran into delays and pushed the launch into November. However, this puts the game on a collision course with the launch of PUBG Mobile India. PUBG Mobile India is an alternate version of the trendy shooter game that is tailored for the Indian market. Both have announced that launches in November but ran into delays and now seem to be competing on who will hit the market first. On a troubling note for nCore, the number of followers that PUBG India boasts far outweighs the support that FAU-G enjoys on Tap Tap. However, things might pan out quite differently once the games drop, as FAU-G has a patriotic angle.

PUBG Corporation Hassles

The PUBG Corporation has been trying very hard to minimize the effect of the border tensions between Indian and China in the last few months. The company has had to do this so that they receive the approvals required to make a comeback into the Indian market. Meanwhile, FAU-G has been using the heightened nationalism and anti-China sentiment that arose as a result of the skirmish for their gains. Their teaser emulated the Valley skirmish along the LOC and used brawler mechanics to depict the clash realistically. The game is also using the Atma Nirbhar Bharat sentiment to inspire more Indians to use its made-in-India services. Additionally, the developers will donate 20% of their revenue to Bharat Ke Veer. This is a trust that the government established to help the families of soldiers who died in the line of duty.

Athulya

Being a cinephile with a love for all things outdoorsy, Athulya never misses a chance to chase inspiring stories or poke fun at things, even when the subject is herself. Currently pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering, she is someone innately interested in technical and scientific research. Music reviews and op-eds define her as they allow her to explore different perspectives. Though sometimes she thinks she makes more sense playing the guitar than she does while writing.

Indian Government Bans Another 118 Apps Including PUBG

Leave a Comment / India, News, Tech News, Uncategorized / By Athulya

The Indian government took a big decision on Wednesday by deciding to ban an additional 118 or so mobile applications, including the uber-popular video game PUBG. The move follows in the heels of an earlier decision to ban 59 Chinese applications earlier this year. All of these bans were a result of rising tensions between the two superpowers. India cited security reasons and data privacy concerns as the primary cause of the ban. Here’s a look at the impact the move will have, and what led to the government taking such drastic measures.

India Making Big Moves

Tensions had been high ever since the India-China scuffle at the Ladakh border a few months ago. These border skirmishes, coupled with the world’s resentment towards China for its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, has snowballed into trade embargos and political battles around the world. Following India’s model, the US too recently banned the usage of a sleuth of Chinese applications citing security concerns. The Ministry of Information and Technology released an official statement yesterday, wherein it said that 118 apps have now been banned in India. The reason being cited that these apps were prejudicial to the integrity, security, sovereignty, and defence of the nation. As per the statement put out by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, the ban falls under the purview of Section 69A of the Indian IT Act.

Major Apps to Leave India

Some of the biggest names in the list of apps now banned in India are Baidu, FaceU, WeChat, and PUBG Mobile. Several reports state that PUBG has over 33 million active users in India, meaning that this move will have a significant impact on the game. In fact, most reports state that PUBG is one of the most popular applications in India, with over 13 million users signing in every day. The Ministry noted that it frequently received complaints regarding people misusing these applications in various ways. Some of the complaints referred to the stealing or personal and private data and then selling such data to servers located outside India. The fact that such data could be mined, processed, and analyzed to harm the sovereignty of the country is what led to such drastic steps as per the statement from the Ministry.

Further Notices and Suggestions

Furthermore, the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre, which works under the Ministry of Home Affairs also released a statement of recommendations regarding how to block these apps. In the public domain as well, people had been asking the government to take more stringent actions to protect the private data of Indian users. Such a targeted move will therefore help put to rest worries that a large part of the demographic had regarding the safety and security of the Indian cyberspace. The government has decided to retaliate at the best time, as global superpowers unite to protect their data and frameworks from foreign assaults and attacks.

Earlier Steps

Just a few months back, in June, the Centre had banned another 59 applications, with most of them being Chinese-based on similar grounds. This list included popular apps like UC Browser and TikTok. The recent ban on an additional 118 apps will see PUBG Mobile leaving India for an indefinite period. The wildly popular shooter videogame ranks within the world’s top five most popular smartphone games and boasts of over 734 million downloads. The game, which comes under Tencent Holdings Limited’s videogame department also has a loyal fan following in India, leading to social media being flooded with memes on the ban. The Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi himself had referenced the game last year during a talk on exam stress. This interview after it went live led to the creation of the “Yeh PUBG-wala hai kya?” meme, which roughly translated to the PM asking a worried mother whether her son was a PUBG player.

It is quite evident that the ban on apps has a clear political agenda behind it. The very fact that the ban came after the Indian government accused China of using troops provocatively along the Pangong Lake in Ladakh is proof enough of this. As the Chinese troops had made a similar move on August 31st, the government was left seething at this provocation. However, the Indian army was able to successfully thwart both actions, preventing any damage or loss for the Indians. Recent months have witnessed several clashes and showdowns, with over 20 soldiers being martyred in the Galwan Valley in June. Political or not, there is no doubt that the banning of these apps will have a ripple in our cyberspace. It will be interesting to see whether China will retaliate in any way to these bans, as TikTok gears up to fight the US government through a civil lawsuit.