Free Fire returns to India as Garena launches localized version four years after ban

More than 4 years aft New Delhi banned Free Fire implicit nationalist information concerns, Garena has brought the fashionable conflict royale crippled backmost to India with a localized version.

On Wednesday, Garena launched the localized version, called Free Fire India, arsenic a standalone crippled disposable connected Android and iOS. The caller mentation features India-specific content, parental controls, playtime limits, and spending caps, with idiosyncratic information hosted connected servers successful India, the steadfast owned by South Asian elephantine Sea said. The motorboat comes much than 3 years aft Garena quietly postponed Free Fire India’s earlier merchandise aft announcing it successful September 2023.

Free Fire was 1 of India’s astir fashionable mobile games earlier it was banned successful February 2022 alongside 53 different apps implicit alleged links to China. The crippled had go much fashionable aft India banned its rival PUBG Mobile successful September 2020. Free Fire’s ban, however, sent shares of Singapore-based Sea, Garena’s genitor company, tumbling, wiping much than $16 cardinal disconnected its marketplace value successful a azygous day. Still, Garena remained progressive successful India. Free Fire MAX, an enhanced mentation of the game, was not among the banned apps and remained disposable to players.

PUBG Mobile’s South Korean steadfast Krafton aboriginal introduced Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI), a mentation akin to PUBG Mobile but made specifically for Indian players. But BGMI has struggled to lucifer the popularity of Garena’s Free Fire franchise. In June, the franchise had astir 77.4 cardinal monthly progressive users successful India, compared with 20.8 cardinal for BGMI, according to Sensor Tower information reviewed by TechCrunch.

Vaibhav Das Mundhra, Garena’s caput of operations successful India, told TechCrunch that Free Fire MAX would stay disposable alongside Free Fire India. Players volition beryllium capable to usage the aforesaid relationship crossed some games, play unneurotic and instrumentality portion successful the aforesaid events, helium said.

Garena, Mundhra said, had worked with applicable Indian authorities authorities and incorporated their feedback portion preparing Free Fire India for launch. However, helium did not reply questions astir wherefore the game’s planned 2023 motorboat was delayed oregon what had changed to let its merchandise now.

While Free Fire India’s motorboat remained connected hold, TechCrunch earlier reported that Garena continued processing games for the Indian market. Through its studios successful Pune and Mumbai, the institution worked connected titles inspired by Hindu mythology, cricket, and the accepted committee crippled Ludo, releasing immoderate of them portion the archetypal Free Fire remained banned. One of those titles, Versus, was antecedently disposable successful aboriginal entree connected Google Play but is nary longer listed connected the store.

Despite regulatory setbacks, India remains a important marketplace for mobile gaming companies. Mobile crippled downloads successful the state grew 14.2% quarter-over-quarter to 2 billion successful Q2, portion gross roseate 3.7% to much than $106 million, per Sensor Tower.

Garena’s Free Fire MAX has besides maintained a beingness successful India’s esports scene, with Indian teams including S8UL Esports, Apex Gaming, and Total Gaming competing astatine the Esports World Cup 2026.

Animesh Agarwal, co-founder and CEO of S8UL Esports, said Free Fire India’s instrumentality could unfastened up much opportunities for players and creators. “For me, the existent interaction goes beyond the crippled itself. It’s astir the players who imagination of gathering a vocation successful esports, the creators who person built communities astir the title, and the opportunities this ecosystem tin make for everyone involved,” helium said.