Cover-Credits:
Global Esports’ founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) expressed doubt about Battlegrounds Mobile India’s (BGMI) return. Sinha claimed that if the game was going to come back, it would have already returned. According to Sinha, Krafton investing ₹1 Crore INR in Snapdragon Pro Series (SPS) New State Mobile Open India “should be telling enough.” Additionally, Sinha stated that it is purely misleading and detrimental to the ecosystem for everyone to wait for the game’s return.
Global Esports CEO does not believe BGMI will return
Due to national security concerns, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) banned PUBG Mobile under section 69A of the I.T. Act 2000 in September 2020 in the country. The ministry stated that the game was prejudicial to the sovereignty, integrity, defense of India, and public order. With no hopes of PUBG Mobile returning, Krafton introduced an Indian variant of the game titled BGMI. This game quickly filled the void that PUBG Mobile left in the Indian gaming audience, with its absence starting in July 2021. However, the government of India went ahead and suspended BGMI as well under the same law one year after its launch in July 2022.
In a recent Twitter thread, Sinha highlighted that PUBG Mobile was available for 30 months and has been banned for over 29 months. On the other hand, BGMI was available for 12 months and has been suspended for six months.
Sinha added that he believed the game would not return, and the silence from the publisher and the government is clear evidence of it. Furthermore, Krafton investing in development of New State Mobile's esports scene in the country is another clear evidence of it.
Sinha explained that anticipating the game’s return is purely misleading and detrimental to the ecosystem. He added that it is the worst business model for an esports organization to be dependent on a single game.
For the past few months, notable Indian gaming personalities, including professional BGMI player Saumya “Saumraj” Raj and Orangutan Gaming’s owner Yash Bhanushali, have been claiming that the game would return at the start of 2023. Furthermore, it was also popularly rumored that it would return on 15th January, or at least its return teaser would be released. However, it wasn’t the case. There was no announcement from Krafton about the game’s return on 15th January.
Sinha highlighted that everyone from the Indian gaming community has been claiming for the last six months that the game would return on 15th January, but it didn’t.
Finally, Sinha expressed that he is also eagerly anticipating the game's return. He stated that he has been paying the salary of Global Esports’ professional BGMI players since the game was banned and will continue doing so.
It is not the first time Sinha has voiced his disbelief in BGMI’s return. Before this, he has claimed multiple times that BGMI might not return and players should turn to different games, including New State Mobile, which has gained massive traction since BGMI’s ban. Furthermore, he also stated that content creators, pro players, and organizations should not rely on hope for their future.
