Krafton, the South Korean video game developer has announced that the pre-registration for the much awaited Battlegrounds Mobile India game, the new avatar and replacement of PUBG Mobile India will start from 18 May on the Google Play Store. The original game PUBG Mobile India was banned in India in September 2020 along with over 200 Chinese apps by the Indian Government under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act over the concerns about user privacy and data security after the central government deemed it as a threat to India’s online security.
Due to the blockages faced by the PUBG Mobile India by the IT Ministry of India in the past, Krafton has reportedly asked the content creators to stop calling their latest title by the name of PUBG Mobile in fears of getting blocked by the Indian government once again even though this game is a rebranded version of PUBG. The game was announced back in October 2020 but several media reports had claimed that the company continued to face hurdles from the Indian government. The announcement of Battlegrounds Mobile India pre-registration hints at its imminent launch in the country.
Pre-registration for the Battlegrounds Mobile India game will go live on May 18 on the Google Play Store. Though there is no official announcement on its release date, media reports suggest that the game might get released in June and most likely soon after the pre-registration link is live but it is still not evident when the game will be released on iOS. The original PUBG Mobile remained a popular choice on mobile devices. The game will be free-to-play for the Indian audience with in-app purchases, similar to PUBG Mobile India.
For pre-registration, users will have to click on the “Pre-Register” button which will be made available on 18 May on the Google Play store app. The company said that specific rewards will automatically be available to claim on game launch for Indian players after the users click on the “Pre-Register” button.
For ensuring online security, Krafton has confirmed that Battlegrounds Mobile India will only be available to play within India and has said that all personal information will be stored and processed on servers in India and Singapore, though it may transfer data to other countries to meet legal requirements. “With privacy and data security being a top priority, [Battlegrounds Mobile India] will be working with partners, to ensure data protection and security at each stage. This will ensure privacy rights are respected, and all data collection and storage will be in full compliance with all applicable laws and regulations in India and for players here,” a spokesperson said.
The company posted a new teaser for the Sanhok map on the official Facebook page which remained one the most popular maps in PUBG Mobile India alongside other maps like Erangel and Miramar.
Krafton has stated in its privacy policy for the upcoming game that the players under the age of 18 will have new restrictions in order to counter issues like addiction. They will need to register for the game with a phone number that belongs to their parent or guardian and the time limit to access the game for them has been restricted to three hours a day only.
