Battlegrounds Mobile India launched on iOS platform

After a successful launch on Android, Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI), the India-exclusive avatar of popular battle royale title PUBG Mobile, has debuted on iOS platform.

In a statement on Wednesday, Krafton, the developer of the title, said that the game is now available on the Apple App Store, with several in-game rewards for new players.

The exclusive gifts include items such as outfits, masks, coupons, and will be auto-credited into the accounts of players, it said.

The development marks the final leg of BGMI’s launch in India. The title debuted in beta back in June, launched officially on Android in early July, and has already registered over 50 million users from the country.

It goes against the likes of titles such as FAU-G, Garena Free Fire, and Call of Duty: Mobile.

Krafton has pitched Battlegrounds Mobile India as a “new battle royale” game developed especially for fans and gaming enthusiasts in India, but the fact is that BGMI is more like a rebranded and modified version of PUBG Mobile, the flagship game of the company.

It just brings tweaks like green blood and in-game popups to play in moderation, among other things.

PUBG was banned by the Indian government in September 2020 over security issues, which prompted Krafton to halt operations in the country, revoke Chinese company Tencent’s India publishing rights for the title, and work to address other concerns raised by the government.

A couple of months later, the South Korean company announced the plan to return with the India-exclusive title and invest $100 million in the country’s gaming and esports ecosystem. So far, it has invested close to $70 million across three Indian content and gaming startups – Nodwin Gaming, Loco, and Pratilipi.

Beyond this, the company also launched exclusive content for BGMI and an esports tournament with a total prize pool of Rs 1 crore.

Read the TechCircle review of BGMI here.