“BGMI Ban will definitely be a setback for major stakeholders”: Indian eSports industry reacts after the game’s abrupt ban
BGMI's ban might lead to losses in eSports industry
The sudden removal of Battlegrounds Mobile India sent shockwaves across the entire eSports industry. Not only fans but prominent eSports personalities are concerned over the recent BGMI ban by the Indian government.
Yesterday was nothing short of a nightmare for the BGMI fans and professional eSports players who have then been constantly requesting the concerned authorities to lift the ban, considering the game has a bright future in the Indian eSports industry.
Read More: Ghatak’s tweet hints on court hearing over BGMI ban by Indian government
BGMI ban leads to shocking reactions by eSports industry
Krafton’s Battlegrounds Mobile India surpassed 100 million registered users in July 2022. It also completed one year of its release on Android devices but unfortunately the game got banned before it could reach its anniversary on iOS devices. After the game’s disappearance from both the platforms, Google confirmed of BGMI ban by government order.
In its dedication towards building a robust esports environment, KRAFTON Inc. has also broadened the horizon when it comes to the format of BGMI’s tournaments. Per their plans, 2022 will see four pro and semi-pro tournaments (BMOC, recently concluded BMPS Season 1, BGIS Season 2 and BMPS Season 2) featuring cash prizes of INR 6 crores while giving players across India a platform to showcase their skills.
Apart from the publisher’s official tournaments, plenty of Indian esports organizations were also organizing multiple BGMI tournaments with massive prize pools. The game is a major revenue source for esports organizations, teams, live streamers, esports players, and gaming content creators in India.
Esports industry stakeholders speak up on BGMI ban
Mr. Lokesh Suji, the director of Esports Federation of India and Vice President of the Asian Esports Federation commented-
"This is too early to comment and we should wait for the official statement from the Government or the publisher to know more about this matter. India is paving its path to becoming a multi-sport nation where every sport is getting the right visibility, audience and investment to grow. We have to reflect the same in Esports where we need to start giving exposure to multi Esports titles and not limited to one."
Mr Vishwalok Nath,Director, Esports Premier League-
"We are yet to receive an official statement from the Government on the reason behind the removal of the game from the Play Store and App Store. This is between the publisher and the government and we hope this issue will be resolved soon. For ESPL, it's a wait-and-watch time to take further decisions."
Rohit Jagasia, Founder & CEO, Revenant Esports was quoted saying-
"The BGMI BAN will definitely be a setback for all major stakeholders like Tournament Organizations, Esports Teams, Coaches, Support Staff and most importantly the Athletes. However, at Revenant Esports, we will still be supporting our BGMI Athletes and make sure they use our training facility to create content and try their hand at different games"
Mr Sagar Nair, Co-Founder & CEO, Qlan, The Gamer’s Social Network-
"As the official statement is yet to come on the removal of the game, if this game removal will stay for some time then it will be damaging to the ever-growing Indian esports ecosystem. It's not just about one game but with the kind of popularity, player base and viewership BGMI has, it is leading the biggest esports title in India."
Rohit Agarwal, Founder & Director, Alpha Zegus, the next-gen marketing agency specializing in the domains of gaming & lifestyle commented-
"All we know is that such occurrences are becoming more common by the year, and are happening without any foresight. Not very long ago, we saw a wave of China-based apps getting banned overnight, and also saw the likes of Free Fire getting the red flag - all happening without any prior warnings."
He further added-
"Government is yet to release an official statement in terms of the reasoning behind the ban (considering Krafton had taken almost all possible precautions to launch the game within set guidelines) but what we have realised by now is mobile games are becoming more unpredictable by the day. I hope a regulatory body comes into play which monitors the games over time, instead of banning them overnight."
There have been recent rumors of some professional eSports personalities taking up the case of BGMI ban to the court so that the there could be chances of the game making a comeback on Google Play Store and App Store.
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Also Read: BGMI Ban Initiated Shockwaves Among Fans: Game Removed from All App Stores
Also Read: BGMI Ban: Krafton responds after game taken down from Google Play Store and Apple App store
Anushka Mohanta
(2064 Articles Published)