A common misconception many have when it comes to the popular battle royale-themed game Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) is that it is either a revamped version of PUBG Mobile India, an older game that was banned in July 2022, or its new avatar. However, that is not the case. Both games are entirely different entities. While PUBG Mobile India was developed jointly by Tencent and Krafton, the latter developed and published BGMI on its own.
Reacting to HT Tech on the issue, Krafton, the company behind BGMI, explained, “BGMI is not a new avatar of PUBG. While all battle royale games have common elements, BGMI is an entirely separate offering with unique features and elements that separate it from PUBG and other battle royale games.”
In fact, BGMI has been tailor-made for India. It added, “As a game, BGMI has been curated specifically for the Indian audience, designed as per their preferences, in sync with the country’s emerging gaming culture”.
It should be noted that while visually the games may look similar, the two games are entirely different entities, and are built upon separate infrastructure.
BGMI – An India-first battle royale game
After PUBG Mobile India was banned by the government, Krafton created a battle royale game with India in mind, and released BGMI in July 2021. The game is only available in India. Additionally, the game has quite a lot of exclusive content, including maps, outfits, and weapons, that are not present in the global PUBG game either.
BGMI also has separate servers for Indian players and is focused a lot on the Indian esports segment. Recently, it hosted the BGMI Rising tournament where many of the country’s top BGMI players and streamers participated.
For those who are not aware, BGMI is set in a virtual world where players can choose to play solo, duo, or squad matches. Players play the match in real-time against others on a common open-world map. The goal of the game is to be the last player or team standing. Players can choose from a variety of weapons and vehicles to help them survive.
