BGMI returns to India: 5 things that are new in the PUBG successor

On May 19th, union minister of state for IT, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, tweeted that Battlegrounds Mobile India — known more popularly as BGMI — has been given a permit to operate in India. The tweet stated that BGMI has been given a three-month “trial approval” in the country, after Krafton, its publisher, seemingly “complied with issues of server locations and data security”. Close on the heels of this announcement, BGMI has now been made available in India, with the once massively popular battle royale mobile video game now becoming downloadable on both Google Play Store and Apple App Store.

On this note, here’s looking at all the features that are new in the game, and what is Krafton doing differently this time.

BGMI available in India again: 5 things that are different now

To be sure, BGMI, which is a rebranded version of the popular Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) Mobile, are not entirely or drastically new this time. Most changes that can be seen within BGMI right now were introduced back when BGMI was first launched in India, in July 2021. Here’s looking at five ways in which this title is different from before.

Time and spending limits in game

Introduced partially in June 2021 itself, BGMI will come with a host of time and spending limits in the game. This includes a restriction of three hours of gaming time per day for users under the age of 18, and six hours per day for the rest. BGMI will also offer periodic reminders to “take a break”, if gamers play it for too long.

Furthermore, BGMI has an OTP-based parental consent verification process that users will have to go through, if they wish to play the game. A daily spending limit of Rs 7,000 will also be applicable for players, to prevent overspending on in-game items out of addiction.

No blood visuals within BGMI

When BGMI was launched in 2021 as a rebranded PUBG Mobile, there were no visuals of blood, and all deaths were animated by colour. This will continue in BGMI too, and there are no death and blood depictions to control violence within the game.

New map and events

To commemorate the launch of the game in India again, Krafton has presented a new map, called ‘Nusa’. The latter is reportedly the smallest map to have ever been introduced in the game, and a single match on the map will last for eight minutes. The map features ziplines that can be used across different map points, combustible buildings and swimming pools, all of which can be involved within the gameplay.

Other additions include a new two-seater ATV vehicle, and a new tactical crossbow in terms of items. In terms of features, BGMI now has what Krafton calls ‘Super Recall’. The latter allows gamers in duo or squad modes to quickly recall a teammate that dies within the game.

Official operating sanction

This is the first time that BGMI has been officially allowed to operate in India, ever since its crackdown. The license to operate officially means that users will not have to worry about an abrupt ban, and tournament organisers and industry promoters will be able to ramp up gaming event investments around the popular title, yet again.

Compliance with data localisation and security

In September 2020, PUBG Mobile was banned as part of a crackdown on mobile apps with ties to China-based data centres and servers. A look at the official BGMI privacy policy page shows that the game will only store and process user data on secure servers located in India and Singapore — with the latter being a trusted geography.

The game also guarantees deletion of personal data “without delay, after the purpose of the collection of the data has been achieved”. It also states that it has taken measures to secure user data and prevent it from being accessed by unwarranted parties. The full draft can be found here.

All of this will go towards whether BGMI can be a permanent offering in India. In his tweet, Chandrasekhar said, “We will keep a close watch on other issues of user harm, addiction etc in next three months, before a final decision is taken.”

BGMI and PUBG Mobile: A brief history of its bans and returns

BGMI has had an on-off tryst in India, with several bans and returns right now. Here’s how things have unfolded so far.

• September 2020: Central government bans PUBG Mobile, citing ties with China-based Tencent’s ties with the game
• July 2021: South Korea-based Krafton launches BGMI in India, game cited as a revamped PUBG Mobile with fine changes
• July 2022: BGMI gets banned from India on July 28, although no clear reasoning or issues were highlighted as reasons for the ban
• May 19th, 2023: Chandrasekhar tweets about the return of BGMI in India
• May 26th, 2023: Krafton publishes the latest, updated version of its privacy policy for BGMI
• May 27th, 2023: BGMI returns on Google Play Store and Apple App Store

*Note: Some players have reported not being able to access the game right away. This is due to game server loads, and a phased availability of the game is being offered by Krafton to gamers. If BGMI is not working for you after downloading, please try signing in after some time.