Garena Reintroduces Free Fire in India One Year Following Ban

Garena is set to reintroduce the immensely popular mobile game Free Fire to the Indian market, marking a revival after a year and a half of absence due to national security concerns that led to the game's ban.

The parent company, Sea, in collaboration with local entity Yotta, owned by Hiranandani Group, has taken steps to address local data storage needs for Indian users. Moreover, the company has appointed cricket legend Mahendra Singh Dhoni as its brand ambassador for the Indian market.

With the goal of catering to Indian players, Garena has made significant efforts to customize Free Fire, incorporating "unique content" that aligns with local preferences. The focus is to create an environment that promotes a secure, healthy, and enjoyable gaming experience. The relaunch of the title in India is scheduled for September 5. As part of ensuring player well-being, Free Fire India will implement measures to prompt users to take breaks at specific intervals during gameplay.

Prior to the ban, Free Fire held a substantial user base in India, boasting around 40 million monthly active players. It was a strong contender against other popular titles like Krafton's PUBG and BGMI. The ban on Free Fire resulted in a significant drop of $16 billion in Sea's market capitalization last year.

Gang Ye, Co-founder of Garena, expressed optimism about the game's return, stating, "We look forward to providing an engaging and highly localized experience for Indian users. We believe our partnership with Yotta will ensure that our users can enjoy the highest quality gameplay experience and benefit from Yotta’s expertise in protecting and securing Indian user data."