Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) on Thursday vanished from Apple App Store and Google Play Store. The most popular mobile game in the country cannot be found on both the app stores.

If searched, other games appear but not BGMI. While it isn’t clear why it has vanished, many Twitter users fear it has been banned by the government. They claim that BGMI has met PUBG’s fate. 

Also read: PUBG: Battlegrounds goes free-to-play on PC, Xbox, PlayStation

In September 2020, PUBG was banned in India.

Both PUBG and BGMI were developed by South Korean company Krafton Inc. Since PUBG was published in India by China’s Tencent, the government had banned PUBG in India. BGMI was launched after PUBG was banned. 

Also read: Deltarune Chapter 2 set for September 17 release on PC and Mac

Speaking to TechCrunch, Google spokesperson said that they have received a government order. “On receipt of the order, following the established process, we have notified the affected developer and have blocked access to the app that remained available on the Play Store in India,” the spokesperson added.

There is a possibility that the game is made available again, but Twitter users are absolutely convinced that the government has banned the game.

Also read: Battlegrounds Mobile India launch: 5 things to know

“According to @GametubeI, sources have confirmed that #BGMI has been banned in India,” a user wrote.

“I don’t think so it’s banned there might be some glitch on the play store or with BGMI team #BGMI,” wrote another. 

Meanwhile, there is no government statement saying BGMI has been banned in India.

Also read: Battleground Mobile India officially launched: How to download, rewards and more

“No one knows the reason. Let’s hope for a better announcement. Earlier they banned PUBG mobile now BGMI. BGMI might have some bug issues like it has a hacked version but that doesn’t mean you banned it,” wrote another.

The Central government has taken action against dozens of Chinese applications since 2020 when the Chinese Army attempted to transgress the Line of Actual Control in Eastern Ladakh.