Garena Announces Free Fire India Release Date and New Esports Tournament
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Free Fire India
Free Fire was one of the most popular battle royale mobile games in India before it got unlisted from the Google Play Store and Apple App Store in February 2022, using Section 69A of the IT Act.
While Free Fire Max (the HD version of Free Fire) was not restricted and could be played in India, fans have been eagerly waiting for the base game to return and bring with it, its host of premier esports tournaments.
Garena Free Fire has finally returned
Garena announced the release of Free Fire India, which will be accessible exclusively in India beginning September 5. Free Fire India includes one-of-a-kind content and features to promote a safe, healthy, and enjoyable gaming experience.
The announcement was made at a launch event on 31st August by Garena’s Co-founder Mr. Gang Ye and Yotta Infrastructure’s (“Yotta”) Co-founder and Chairman Mr. Darshan Hiranandani, in the presence of the High Commissioner of the Republic of Singapore to the Republic of India, HE Simon Wong.
Leveraging Yotta’s local cloud infrastructure to enhance user experience:
Yotta, a Hiranandani Group company, will provide Free Fire India with local cloud hosting and storage infrastructure. Yotta, as a MeitY-approved service provider, will enable best-in-class management of Indian users' personal data on local servers and network connectivity services to support Garena's product offerings in India, including esports.
Free Fire India will have features and content tailored exclusively to Indian consumers, as well as a variety of elements meant to promote safe, healthy, and enjoyable gameplay. There is a verification system to enable parental supervision, as well as gameplay constraints and 'take a break' reminders.
Garena also announced Indian cricket star MS Dhoni as the new brand ambassador for Free Fire India, emphasizing its commitment to celebrate the best of India within the game. As the first Indian sportsperson to be featured in-game as a playable character, "Thala" Dhoni will be joined by other prominent athletes, including football captain Sunil Chhetri, badminton champion Saina Nehwal, tennis legend Leander Paes, and Kabaddi champion Rahul Chaudhari.
Launch of Free Fire India Championship
Garena and Yotta's partnership with the Government of Uttar Pradesh to promote esports in India has led to the announcement of the Free Fire India Championship (FFIC). This competition, open to teams from all over India, offers winners a chance to represent the country at the Free Fire World Series in Thailand. The event will see further details unveiled in the coming weeks.
High Commissioner Simon Wong praised Garena's commitment to the Indian esports ecosystem, while Garena's Co-founder Gang Ye emphasized their dedication to providing a localized gaming experience and supporting Indian esports and startups. Yotta's involvement reflects the progress in India's data center sector.
