A popular esports company based in Singapore, called Garena, has recently rerevealed the release of a new version of their widely known battle royale game Free Fire, exclusively for Indian users. This new game, called Free Fire India, will include content and features specifically designed to cater to the Indian audience. Interested players can pre-register for the game on the Google Play Store before it becomes available for download on September 5, 2023.
Free Fire was banned in India in February of last year due to its alleged links to China and potential threat to national security. This ban affected millions of Indian gamers who enjoyed playing the game. However, it will be available for download on September 5, 2023.
Gang Ye, Co-founder of Garena, said, “India is home to very passionate communities of esports enthusiasts, and we are excited to be able to support our fans from Bharat with the launch of Free Fire India. We look forward to providing an engaging and highly localised experience for Indian users”.
Garena sets up servers in India
Battlegrounds Mobile India also made its second comeback earlier this year as it was banned due to the same reasons behind Free Fire’s ban. Similar to what Krafton did, Garena has also taken steps to address the data security issues. To do so, it has partnered with Yotta, a unit of the Hiranandani group, to provide cloud hosting and data storage services for Free Fire India. As a result, the game will run on servers located in India, ensuring that the data of Indian users stays within the boundaries of the country.
“We look forward to providing an engaging and highly localised experience for Indian users,” said Gang Ye. “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”, he added.
New safety measures in place
Free Fire India also aims to promote safe gameplay by introducing safety measures such as a verification system for parental supervision, gameplay limits, and “take a break” reminders. Further, players under the age of 18 will have a three-hour gameplay limit and a spending limit of Rs 6,000 per day. Garena’s senior manager and game producer, Vaibhav Das Mundhra, said that these measures are designed to “create a safe, healthy, and enjoyable gameplay experience” for the users.
Tailored content for Indian audience
Apart from this, Garena will introduce gameplay features that have been made specifically for Indian gamers. Users will witness visual upgrades to the maps and lobby, new weapon animations and improved movements, and exclusive events and rewards. The game will also feature former Indian cricket captain MS Dhoni as its brand ambassador and an in-game character called as ‘Thala’.
Not only this, but Indian Football team captain Sunil Chhetri, famous Badminton player Saina Nehwal, Tennis player Leander Paes, and Kabbadi player Rahul Chaudhari will also be seen featuring in the game.