A year after the prohibition, Garena relaunches Free Fire in India. Garena is relaunching Free Fire in India, nearly a year and a half after the popular mobile title was banned due to national security concerns.
The company, which is owned by South Asian conglomerate Sea, announced a partnership with Yotta. Which is managed by local conglomerate Hiranandani, for cloud and other storage needs of local consumers’ data in the country. It has named Indian cricket legend Mahendra Singh Dhoni as its brand ambassador in India.
According to the company, it has further localized Free Fire for the Indian market, including unique content. And creating an environment that “encourages a safe, healthy, and fun gameplay experience.” And will release the title in the country on September 5. According to the firm, Free Fire India customers will be urged to take breaks at regular intervals.
Before it was prohibited, Free Fire was extremely popular in India, with over 40 million monthly active users. It was a direct competitor to Krafton’s PUBG and BGMI, both of which are hugely popular in the country. Last year, India’s ban on Free Fire quickly took $16 billion off Sea’s market valuation. “We look forward to providing an engaging and highly personalized experience for Indian users,” said Gang Ye, Garena’s co-founder, in a statement.
Garena’s action comes after Krafton secured a trial re-entry for BGMI in India. Sea also secretly sought to launch its e-commerce platform Shopee in India last year. But the operation was halted weeks after the ban on Free Fire.
According to industry executives, Garena still needs to adapt its strategy in the country and should strive to emulate Krafton’s model by investing in local enterprises. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology in India has not commented on Free Fire’s comeback.
“Garena’s launch of FF India and her dedication to localizing and developing the esports ecosystem locally is testimony to the vibrancy of the mobile games and esports space in India, as well as India’s potential for global leadership in this area,” said H.E. Simon Wong, Singapore’s High Commissioner to India, at an event on Thursday. “I look forward to greater partnership between India and Singapore in digital media, recreational activities, and esports.”