Garena delays Free Fire India launch to refine gameplay and localization

Garena, the Singapore-based online games developer and publisher, has announced that the launch of Free Fire India, a game exclusively tailored for the Indian market, will be postponed by a few weeks. The game was originally scheduled to release on September 5, 2023, after being banned in India for over a year and a half due to security concerns.

According to a report by MoneyControl, Garena is refining gameplay and working on localizing the Free Fire India experience. This announcement follows their earlier revelation on August 31, with former Indian cricket captain MS Dhoni as their brand ambassador. Free Fire India will feature Dhoni as a playable character named ‘Thala.’

To ensure data security, Garena has partnered with Yotta, a Hiranandani Group company and MeitY empanelled cloud service provider, for local cloud hosting and storage infrastructure. Yotta will manage Indian users’ personal data on local servers and support Garena’s product offerings in India, including esports.

Additionally, Garena has entered into an agreement with the Uttar Pradesh government to promote esports development in India. This move comes after rival Krafton secured government approval to resume Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) on a trial basis in May 2023.

The return of Free Fire and BGMI to India is expected to re-capture the country’s booming esports industry, which suffered from its suspension last year. In 2021, Free Fire was the top-grossing app on Google Play and the App Store in India, generating approximately $34.3 million in-app spending, as reported by Sensor Tower.

While the Garena Free Fire India missing the launch date is disappointing, what the gamers can look forward to is the rollout of the best version of the game that they can enjoy without worries.

For more details follow Abhinav Gupta on Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/its_abhiji/