BGMI was banned in India after meetings between Krafton and government were held, reveals MeitY
While Krafton's BGMI is banned, New State Mobile is still available in India and has received a new map in the September update.
Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has finally shed some light behind the BGMI ban in India. A Twitter user filed an online RTI (Right to Information) which had questions pertaining to the ban of the battle royale game. MeitY revealed that discussions between the ministry and Krafton representatives were held before BGMI was finally banned in India. Speaking of battle royale, New State Mobile has just received a new map called Akinta, as part of the September update.
Meeting with Krafton before BGMI ban were held
MeitY responsed to the RTI filed by Twitter user GodYamarajOP. The user posed several questions for the ministry to answer. He asked MeitY to mention the reasons behind the ban and also asked if there was a meeting with Krafton about the eventual ban. The user even asked for minutes of the meeting but they were not shared by the ministry, citing that the meeting was “confidential in nature” and withholding information related to sovereignty, integrity, and security of India comes under the RTI Act.
There was real problem of data security... I filled this RTI .. please check out 👇 pic.twitter.com/O7oBuGnopF
— GodYamarajOP (@godyamarajop) September 26, 2022
The ministry confirmed that BGMI was banned in India under section 69A of the IT Act, 2000. This decision by MeitY was made following a request from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). BGMI got removed from Google Play Store and App Store on July 28. Krafton CFO Bae Dong-geun addressed the ban when he said that the company will be looking to “find different ways for Indian users to keep enjoying BGMI.”
New State Mobile September update introduces new map Akinta
New State Mobile is another battle royale game from Krafton. Unlike BGMI, New State Mobile is available on Google Play and App Store. There’s a new September update released for the game. Players of New State Mobile will be introduced to a new map called Akinta. There will be upto 64 players dropping onto the new map where each round can potentially take as long as 15 minutes. A new travelling mechanism called maglev tram was also added which takes players to the center of Akinta map.
September update also introduced new outfits, helmets, sneakers, masks, backpacks, gloves and hats. There’s also a collaboration with McLaren Automotive as players can unlock the McLaren 720S upon the completion of a new limited-time event. The McLaren 720S will be available in the following colours: Volcano Yellow, Paris Blue, Royal Purple, Fever Pink and Black and White.