Battlegrounds Mobile India, amicably called “BGMI”, is officially unbanned after the government gave it a 3-month trial period on May 19, 2023. Reports have surfaced regarding the resurgence in popularity of BGMI as the application gained over 10 million downloads on the day of launch itself, showcasing its popularity among the players even after a 10-month-long hiatus. BGMI also ranked as the Number 1 application on the Free Application charts of both the Google Play Store and the iOS App Store. 

Future of BGMI in India: Exploring the Esports Possibilities

The domestic mobile gaming market is estimated to be worth over $140 million in 2023. Popular Battle Royale mobile titles such as Free Fire Mobile and Call of Duty: Mobile are attributed to holding a significant chunk of the market share. BGMI, before its ban, was the leader in Indian esports with fashionable events, live meetups, millions of concurrent viewers on multiple tournament live streams, and more. 

BGMI is a sensation that was at the peak of its popularity in July 2022 with over 100 million active players enjoying the tactical battle royale on their mobile phones. One of the biggest revenue generators, the game reportedly earned estimated earnings of $33 million between July 2021 to July 2022. On the other hand, Krafton Inc also has a vested interest in the Indian gaming scene due to its wide variety of investments made. The South Korea-based company has made sizeable investments in Loco and Nodwin Gaming, amounting to an estimated $9 million and $22.5 million each, respectively. 

Krafton India is looking forward to a bright future for BGMI ahead! Their official message to all fans was as follows – “We would like to express our deep appreciation to the Indian authorities for permitting us to restart the operations of BATTLEGROUNDS MOBILE INDIA (BGMI). KRAFTON, Inc., as a responsible South Korean company that abides by the law, has put in place several measures to ensure compliance to all Indian laws. We are committed to providing a safe and enjoyable experience for our players, and we will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that we maintain the highest possible standards.

At KRAFTON, Inc., we are deeply committed to the Indian gaming ecosystem. Our approach has always been India-first, which serves as the foundation of all our efforts. We believe in investing in the Indian gaming industry and contributing to building a vibrant ecosystem that fosters growth and innovation. To achieve our mission, we aim to augment technology developments in India by collaborating with local developers and promoting the use of cutting-edge technologies. We also recognize the importance of providing skilling and employment opportunities for Indian talent, which can help them nurture their skills and thrive in the industry.

We are grateful to our Indian gaming community for their support and patience over the past few months. We are excited to announce that BATTLEGROUNDS MOBILE INDIA will be available for download soon and we cannot wait to welcome you back to our platform. We believe in the power of gaming to bring people together and create unforgettable experiences. We are committed to delivering exceptional products and services to our users in India and beyond, and we look forward to continuing our journey with you.”

Challenges in Long-Term Sustainability and Growth

While we have seen the dominance of BGMI in the Indian mobile esports segment, the same cannot be said about the long-term sustainability of the game with the tumultuous situation that has engulfed the Battle Royale. Over the past 2-3 years, BGMI has been hit with 2 bans. The first ban was issued to Krafton’s Players Unknown Battlegrounds Mobile (PUBG Mobile) in 2020, due to speculations on data breaching and account selling. 

This move forced Krafton, the South Korea-based company to cut ties with Tencent Games, the Chinese gaming giant in order to launch Battlegrounds Mobile India as a sole publisher. The second and most recent ban was imposed at the end of July 2022 due to non-compliance with the Ministry of State and Electronics and IT. 

Even so, the players determine any game’s success or failure. While it may be possible for BGMI to fail, the chances are quite slim if we assume with the data that we have from previous years. The game clocked over $33 million in revenue between 2021-2022 alone, according to the popular earning tracker app SensorTower. BGMI also has a live concurrent viewership of at least 2 million on all of their officially hosted events and tournaments. 

BGMI also has tie-ups and content coming in from notable YouTubers such as S8UL Mortal, 8bit Beg4Mercy, 8bit Goldy, 8bit Mafia, sc0ut, Dynamo Gaming, Mavi, and more. In fact, S8UL Mortal’s first livestream after BGMI got unbanned gained 1.2 million views alone in a short span of 18 hours. This is quite telling of the popularity that BGMI still has among the hearts of gamers.