A ‘state of uncertainty’. That’s what the Indian esports industry is dealing with after Krafton’s popular game Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) was pulled from the Google Play Store and App Store last week. Technically, the game isn’t banned – it’s only been pulled from stores due to a temporary government order. And while those who have the game can still play it, for esports companies and players whose livelihoods depend on BGMI, the current situation isn’t ideal.
Business executives who spoke to indianexpress.com noted that BGMI is largely driving revenue and viewership in the market. And the game being banned in the future would have bigger implications for the country’s burgeoning but emerging esports industry. BGMI recently surpassed 100 million registered users in India in just over a year after its relaunch, a sign of the game’s popularity.
“BGMI accounted for a large percentage of the esports ecosystem in India, not just in terms of prize money, but also teams, players and the hundreds of support roles surrounding it with media sites, video editors, streamers, tournament organizers all stuck in one is now in limbo. There was a lot of fantastic momentum for BGMI and Esports in India with mainstream visibility thanks to the combined efforts of Krafton and all ecosystem partners,” Ishaan Arya, Co-Founder and Head of Business Development at The Esports Club told indianexpress.com via email.
Other executives pointed out that for professional gamers who train for months on a certain game like BGMI, suddenly switching to another game isn’t that easy. Most executives agree that taking months for these Esports players to perfect one game and picking up another to play at a professional level is no mean feat.
“The most affected people are professional players and tournament organizers. Content creators or streamers can switch to something else. They may experience a slight drop in viewership. But for players this means sitting at home and doing nothing. And companies invest millions in these tournaments, which is an annual calendar,” said Rohit Agarwal, founder and president of Alpha Zegus, a marketing agency specializing in gaming and lifestyle. According to him, the move also creates uncertainty about gaming as a career.
More importantly, BGMI drove higher sales. “BGMI was the only game that attracted a lot of viewers. It also led to many other brands entering the Esports space. We spoke to a lot of brands after BGMI got an ad spot in IPL,” Rohit Jagasia, founder and CEO at Revenant Esports told indianexpress.com. Revenant is an Esports company with players for BGMI and Call of Duty: Mobile. These teams compete in professional tournaments for pooled prize money.
According to Jagasia, while they’ve diversified at Revenant into other games like Pokemon Unite and will represent India at the world championships next month in London, BGMI was the one that clearly drove revenue up in a big way.
Esports executives also stressed the need for clarity on rules about what a game could ban and what all the compliances a publisher should have to ensure these situations don’t happen again. Some pointed out that until the servers for BGMI are removed, the uncertainty will remain and that a recovery mechanism may be needed to deal with these situations.
“There has always been a lot of ambiguity about game bans, the right communication channels, and how/what a publisher should do to meet different requirements,” Arya noted.
When asked if they see another game that generates this kind of interest, executives noted that the only other option that came close after PUBG was banned in 2020 was Garena’s Free Fire. But then, in February of this year, it met the same fate.
“Right now, games like Apex Legends Mobile and possibly in the not so distant future like Rainbow Six Siege Mobile and Valorant Mobile could be potential alternatives. However, there is still a lot of uncertainty whether the current situation is temporary or long-term,” Arya said.
According to Agarwal, one option for players could be to switch to PUBG: New State, Krafton’s other game that is similar in appearance to BGMI. Interestingly, in India, the game does not have a ‘PUBG’ brand and is simply called ‘New State’. Still, it didn’t get off the ground in the same way.
When asked if Call of Duty: Mobile could take over BGMI’s space, Jagasia said it was unlikely. He also pointed out that Krafton has made significant investments in the gaming ecosystem in India, nearly $100 million.
While there is no word on an official BGMI ban, the stalemate has created a void in India’s nascent gaming industry. For now, esports companies and players need to do nothing but wait.
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