South Korean game publisher, Krafton, on Friday, announced that its popular battle royale game, Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI), the Indian version of popular game PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) Mobile, has crossed 100 million registered users in the country.
BGMI was launched as an alternative to PUBG Mobile in India after the country had banned the latter citing security concerns. The game has since completed one year since its debut on September 2, 2020. The company claims that the mobile game is the "most popular battle royale game" in India.
In a blog post, the company said that it has invested nearly 100 million USD to improve India’s local video game, Esports, and entertainment startups to build a healthy gaming start-up ecosystem.
Krafton says that it has been focussed on growing the Esports ecosystem in the country with India-centric events and content. The company plans to organise more events, tournaments with larger prize pools and "more opportunities for aspiring gamers to gain exposure and make their mark on the industry."
The company highlighted that the recently concluded BMPS (BATTLEGROUNDS MOBILE PRO SERIES) SEASON 1 with a prize pool of INR 2 Crore was the largest in Indian Esports history. As part of its long-term vision to grow the Esports scene in India, the company has confirmed that it has plans to launch even larger tournaments for BGMI this year.
"2022 will see 4 pro and semi-pro tournaments (BMOC, recently concluded BMPS Season 1, BGIS Season 2 and BMPS Season 2) featuring cash prizes of INR 6 crores while giving players across India a platform to showcase their skills," wrote Krafton.
Speaking on the milestone, Minu Lee, Head of India Publishing, Krafton said, "We are extremely thrilled to have reached this landmark in the very first year of BGMI and thank our gamers for this achievement. BGMI has been in sync with the gaming community’s needs every step of the way with new and challenging gameplay, festive updates, and exciting themes from coveted IPs. We have consistently worked towards bringing in localized content, offerings, and understanding the nuances that have driven BGMI to become the preferred game in India. We look forward to bringing new and exciting experiences to the community and supporting holistic growth for the Esports ecosystem in India."