Battlegrounds Mobile India, better known as the popular BGMI battle royale shooter, recently made a comeback on iOS and Android platforms in India after a nearly year-long ban. The developers Krafton relaunched the mobile game on May 29 with some playtime restrictions. Days after starting its second life in India, BGMI is now the centerpiece of an esports tournament. Skyesports, an esports and gaming company, is hosting a BGMI tournament, which promises a prize pool of Rs. 25 lakhs.
The tournament, dubbed the Skyesports Champions Series, will kick off on June 9 and run through June 18, the esports company tweeted on Saturday. The BGMI tournament will kick off at 1:00pm IST and will be streamed on the Skyesports YouTube channel. BGMI competitive tournaments have been halted since the game was banned in India in July 2022.
In August 2022, Skyesports CEO Shiva Nandy had said that the BGMI ban was only temporary and the game would return.
🇮🇳 Bharat Ka Asli Dil – BGMI is back and we are as excited as you are! We present to you the iconic Skyesports Champion Series, this time for BGMI with a grand prize pool of INR 25,00,000!
It’s time to bring back memories, it’s time to relive every moment that was enjoyed.… pic.twitter.com/CX5Cpk1QKV
—Skyesports (@skyesportsindia) June 3, 2023
The relaunched version of BGMI features daily time limits to address the issue of gambling addiction. The latest game update also brings a new tropical island resort-based map, new in-game events, and updates to classic maps. Restricted playing times will be implemented according to the age of the player: minors will be limited to three hours per day, while adults can play up to six hours.
Last month, Krafton confirmed that the Indian government had allowed them to bring BGMI back to India, reportedly on a three-month trial. The game was banned last year in July over concerns about data privacy and online security. BGMI was removed from both the Google Play Store and Apple’s App Store under Section 69 of the IT Act, which hit the mobile esports community in the country hard.
“We are very grateful to the Indian authorities for allowing us to resume Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) operations. We would like to extend our gratitude to our Indian gaming community for their support and patience over the past few months,” said Sean Hyunil Sohn, CEO of Krafton India in a press release.
BGMI is now back on the iOS and Android platforms, and can be downloaded via the App Store and Google Play Store, respectively. The developers, however, have said that the gameplay will be staggered and users will be able to log in in phases within 48 hours.