BGMI was relaunched in India on Monday, and the popular battle royale game can now be played on iOS and Android smartphones, nearly a year after it was banned in the country. Developer Krafton says it has imposed restrictions on playing Battlegrounds Mobile India, with daily time limits. The latest update to the game — the first to arrive since June last year — brings a new map based on a small resort island located in a tropical zone, along with new in-game events, and updates to classic maps in the game.
On Monday, Krafton announced the relaunch of BGMI in India, two days after it allowed Android users to preload the game in advance. Both iOS and Android users can now download BGMI via the App Store and Play Store respectively, but Krafton says that playability will be staggered and users will be able to login in phases within 48 hours.
According to Krafton, BGMI will restrict playtime for users in India based on their age. Minors playing the game will be limited to three hours a day, while users above the age of 18 can play for up to six hours. The game will continue to limit daily spending for gamers under the age of 18 and parental verification will also remain in place, the publisher says.
The latest BGMI 2.5 update that is available to download via the Google Play store and App Store features Nusa, the smallest map in the game to date. It is set in a tropical environment and features ziplines, a Super Recall feature, a tactical crossbow, and a two-seater off-road all-terrain vehicle. Each match in Nusa will last eight minutes, according to Krafton.
BGMI has been granted a three-month “trial approval” by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) after Krafton addressed and complied with issues of server locations and data security. MoS IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar announced earlier this month that the government will monitor these issues, along with concerns related to gamer addition and user harm over the next three months during the “trial” period.
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