 "Battlegrounds Mobile India is a 'threat to security of India', writes MLA in a letter to PM requesting game's ban")
Ahead of the launch of Battlegrounds Mobile India, which is expected
next month
, Arunachal Pradesh MLA Ninong Ering has written a letter to Prime Minister requesting to ban the game. Ering shared the letter in a
tweet
he posted on Saturday. The game is a “Chinese deception” and is a “big threat to security of India and privacy of our citizens”, he wrote in the letter. The MLA says that the launch of Battlegrounds Mobile India is “a way to circumvent and disregard our laws”. [caption id=“attachment_9649401” align=“alignnone” width=“1280”]
Battlegrounds Mobile India.[/caption]
The game “is a mere illusion and a trick to relaunch the same game with minor modifications and collect user data of millions of our citizens, including our children and transfer it to foreign companies and the Chinese government,” reads the letter. To recall, Battlegrounds Mobile India is expected to be similar to the PUBG Mobile game that was banned in India last year due to privacy and security purposes. Notably, both games have different developers. Meanwhile, the MLA claims that Krafton India has hired employees from Tencent which is a Chinese technology firm and was a huge investor in PUBG Mobile. The letter adds that the Google Play Store URL hints that it is a relaunch of PUBG Mobile in India. He further stated, “United States Committee on Foreign Investment (CFIUS) is currently discussing the potential disinvestment of Tencent from American gaming companies”. Backlash for the requested ban has already started on social media.
Battlegrounds Mobile India will be a free battle royale game that is said to be similar to PUBG Mobile, with some minor tweaks. The new game is set to bring exclusive in-game features such as outfits, and an esports ecosystem in India that will include tournaments and leagues. We have reached out to Krafton for a statement regarding this matter. We will update the copy with the same once we hear back.