Cover-Credits:
Popular mobile battle royale Free Fire has been removed from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store in India. According to several Indian news outlets, the app has been banned along with over 50 other “China-linked” apps and games. The move might come as a surprise to many as Garena is based in Singapore and the reason behind its inclusion on the banned list is unknown.
Why was Free Fire removed from Play Store?
With Free Fire banned in India, both the App Store and Play Store are not allowing players to download the game. If you already have the game installed on your device, it will continue to work but it will not receive any updates. Once a mandatory update is out, players will be unable to access the game. Garena might restrict access to its servers for Indian players as well to abide by the ban.
Neither the Indian Government nor Garena has offered an official statement on the matter so far. The ban is reminiscent of the ban on PUBG Mobile in 2020. According to Indian news outlet ET Now, the Indian government banned Chinese apps as well as apps that have been banned earlier but have resurfaced as clones. A total of 270 bans have been imposed on apps and games by the Indian Government so far.
When the previous batch of apps and games were banned, the government stated that the apps and games were prejudicial to the sovereignty and integrity of India, Defence of India, Security of State and Public Order. An official statement on the latest ban is yet to be published by the Government.
However, some are suggesting that the game might have been blocked under IT Rules Section 9(1).
According to the Print, Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000, gives the Centre the right to block public access to an intermediary in the interests of sovereignty and integrity of India, defense of India, security of the State, friendly relations with foreign states or public order or to prevent incitement to any cognizable offence relating thereto.
Rule 9 of the IT blocking rules allows for a review committee to send “recommendations regarding the case, including whether it is justifiable to block the accounts” in order to uphold the blocking of an account permanently.
What other apps have been banned in India?
In the new ban wave, a number of mobile apps have been banned along with games like Onmyoji Arena, EVE Echoes, Astracraft and more. Tencent’s Xriver app has also been removed from the App Store and Play Store.
Will Free Fire be unbanned in India?
It is unknown how Garena will approach the situation. With a large esports ecosystem being established by Garena in India, the ban will negatively affect not just the casual playerbase but also the entire competitive ecosystem in India.
When PUBG Mobile was banned in India, PUBG publisher Krafton developed Battlegrounds Mobile India within a year to replace the banned game while abiding by all Indian regulations. It remains to be seen how far Garena is willing to go to retain its massive Indian audience.
