Garena Free Fire Archives - Gizmochina

Garena Free Fire returning to India on September 5, MS Dhoni will be a playable character

Soumyakanti — Thu, 31 Aug 2023 12:12:24 +0000

After BGMI, Singapore’s Garena is set to launch Free Fire India exclusively for the Indian market on September 5, 2023. This move comes after the Indian government banned the original Free Fire along with 53 other apps in February 2022.

Exclusive Features for Safe Gameplay

To enhance safe gameplay and cater to the Indian audience, Free Fire India has introduced features like parental supervision verifications, set gameplay limits, and periodic ‘take a break’ reminders.

Free Fire India has also integrated Indian cultural touchpoints. Notably, Indian cricket superstar MS Dhoni will be both the brand ambassador and a playable character named “Thala.” Joining him are sports luminaries such as football skipper Sunil Chhetri, badminton ace Saina Nehwal, tennis maestro Leander Paes, and kabaddi prodigy Rahul Chaudhari, who will also be available as in-game characters.

A crucial part of Garena’s commitment to India is data security. Thus, Yotta, under the Hiranandani Group, will provide local cloud hosting and storage solutions, ensuring all user data remains within Indian borders. This partnership is not just about data; Yotta will be actively supporting Garena’s esports ventures in India.

Speaking of esports, the Free Fire India Championship (FFIC) is just around the corner. Sponsored by both Garena and Yotta and with the backing of the Uttar Pradesh government, this championship will see local teams vying for a chance to showcase their skills on the global stage at the Free Fire World Series in Thailand later this year.

From September 5th, Indian gamers can download Free Fire India, with more announcements about esports initiatives expected to follow shortly. This exclusive version not only promises a safer and more enjoyable gaming environment but also one that resonates with the Indian spirit.

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(Via)

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Garena raises concern over Indian ban of Free Fire

Sudhanshu — Thu, 24 Feb 2022 19:45:45 +0000

The Indian government has recently banned the popular mobile battle royale game, Free Fire. The app is owned by Singapore-based tech group Sea Ltd, with Tencent having a major stake. The game has been developed by 111dots Studio and published by Garena, a Singapore-based games publisher.

For those unaware, the Indian government has recently banned another 53 applications suspected of sending user data to servers in China, which includes certain apps that had resurfaced as clones of previously banned Chinese apps.

In a report by Reuters, sea ltd said that “the company does not transfer to, or store any data of their Indian users, in China.” Singapore, reportedly, reached out to Indian authorities and inquired as to why the app had been targeted in the government’s crackdown on Chinese apps.

The oddity of the ban is more pronounced and confusing as Sea is headquartered in the city-state and therefore the concern by Singapore as to whether the app had been “banned unintentionally”.

Garena, released a statement post-ban of free fire stating: “We are aware that Free Fire is currently unavailable in the Google Play and iOS app stores in India and that the game is currently not operable for some users in the country,” reads the statement. “We are working to address this situation, and we apologize to our users for any inconvenience.”

The Indian IT Department hasn’t yet released a statement regarding the specific ban of Garena’s Free Fire.

The game had gained immense popularity and had a thriving esports culture. Recently it was announced that European esports organization Team Vitality, formed a new Free Fire esports team in India.

As of yet, the game is not available for download either on Google Play Store or the App Store.

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14-year-old boy commits suicide days after Free-Fire ban, cops suspect gaming addiction

Sudhanshu — Fri, 18 Feb 2022 14:57:49 +0000

In recent years, multiple cases of unfortunate deaths related to online gaming addiction have made the news, and today, we regretfully report that another such incident has occurred where a 14-year-old boy living in Mumbai, India has allegedly committed suicide as a result of gaming addiction.

The boy is said to have been addicted to this recently banned battle royale game Garena Free Fire, and the Bhoiwada police are currently investigating to find out if it was something related to the game that led the boy to take this extreme step.

According to the Police, the boy’s father, who works as a designer for a private, received a call from his son on Sunday at 7:22 PM. The father could not receive the call as he was traveling with his wife, as per a report by Hindustan Times. When he called his son back a few minutes later, the boy did not answer the call.

Upon returning home, the parents noticed that their son’s room was locked. The father had to break the glass frame above the door to unlock it, following which, the unfortunate father found his son dead inside the room. The police informed that the body was sent to KEM Hospital for post-mortem.

Vijay Patil, the Deputy Commissioner of Police, zone 4, has stated that “Preliminary probe has revealed that the boy was addicted to Free Fire online game, but what exactly triggered him to take the extreme step is still a mystery.”

However, both the parents and the boy’s school teachers have shared that the boy has never shown any signs of gaming addiction. They have stated that the boy was a bright student and fond of cricket.

The Police have also stated that “The online game he was addicted to needed to be played in groups. So we are trying to find out who his friends were and who were his co-players in the game so as to ascertain if anything happened during the game that led him to take the drastic step.”

With this in mind, the police have sent the boy’s mobile phone to the forensic laboratory to retrieve its data. The initial reports have revealed that the boy mostly surfed websites related to the Free Fire game and cricket.

Jitendra Pawar, Senior Inspector, Bhoiwada police, said, “No note written by the boy was found. Nothing important from his mobile conversations with his friends is found. His teachers say that he was studious. His parents also didn’t complain of anything suspicious,”

The investigation is still underway to figure out if it was indeed the boy’s gaming addiction that drove the boy to take this drastic step or if it was due to some other reason.

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Realme 9 Pro Plus to arrive in a Free Fire Special Edition

Sean — Fri, 18 Feb 2022 07:33:27 +0000

Realme had just launched the 9 Pro series in India. The higher end 9 Pro Plus model is available in three different color options and two storage configurations as well. But, it seems like there is another upcoming variant of the device, and it is a special Free Fire edition.

For those unaware, Free Fire from Garena is a popular battle royale title that has been quite popular in the Southeast Asian market. And now, the Chinese smartphone maker is partnering up with the studio behind the title for a new limited edition model. As of right now, the brand has only teased the smartphone so no finer details regarding this variant is available.

Although, we can expect the Realme 9 Pro+ Free Fire Edition to feature a unique design, with a different color scheme on the back and possibly even an exclusive theme as well. While the limited edition might target fans of the game, Free Fire is currently not available for download in India. The game was apparently banned by the Indian government, along with more than 50 other applications from China. This even included clones of applications that were previously banned in India.

In other words, the collaboration comes at an awkward time for Realme. However, there is one silver lining. Singaporean developer Garena still offers the Free Fire MAX appliction Google Play Store and Apple App Store. This title is a more graphically intensive version of Free Fire and is better suited for gaming smartphones, or other models with capable SoCs. So stay tuned for more, as we will be providing updates regarding its launch and pricing.

India bans over 50 Chinese apps, including Garena Free Fire: Report

Sean — Mon, 14 Feb 2022 08:45:39 +0000

India has apparently banned another 50 applications. The government has blacklisted more than 50 smartphone apps, which are most likely from China, and mark the latest wave of app bans in the country.

For those unaware, the Indian government had banned around 60 apps back in 2020 and another 60 a few months after. Now, it is rumored that the government has banned another 50 applications, which includes certain apps that had resurfaced as clones of previously banned ones. One of the notable bans may include the popular battle royale title, Garena Free Fire. Although, there is still no official list that reveal the names of all the applications that have been banned from the country.

According to ET Now on Twitter, sources have claimed that the new app ban wave is primarily to remove resurfaced applications that were clones. Furthermore, Garena Free Fire being pulled from Google Play Store and Apple App Store in India is likely due to Tencent having a major stake in the game’s parent company. However, there are currently no official news regarding why the game was removed from these app stores. So it is unknown if it was due to the government’s ban or some other reason.

Govt of India to ban 54 Chinese apps that pose a threat to India’s security: Sources

— ANI (@ANI) February 14, 2022

A separate report has suggested that the list of banned apps include, “Sweet Selfie HD, Beauty Camera – Selfie Camera, Equalizer & Bass Booster, CamCard for SalesForce Ent, Isoland 2: Ashes of Time Lite, Viva Video Editor, Tencent Xriver, Onmyoji Chess, Onmyoji Arena, AppLock, Dual Space Lite,” all of which were removed due to supposed threat to India’s national security.

Indian themed Indus Battle Royale will release soon to rival BGMI

Sudhanshu — Wed, 26 Jan 2022 13:28:23 +0000

So far, the Indian mobile gaming scene has been dominated by battle royales like BGMI (Battlegrounds Mobile India) and Garena Free Fire. Now, the Pune-based game studio SuperGaming has announced its upcoming game in the genre dubbed Indus Battle Royale.

According to the official website, the made-in-India game aims to showcase the Indian culture with a futuristic twist for gamers all across the globe. The studio is currently developing deep lore for the game along with immersive surroundings inspired by real-life locations in India. At its core, the game will be a battle royale and therefore will consist of guns and a gameplay system that you would expect from any modern-day BR title.

Interestingly, the game will not be limited to just mobile devices, as stated on the website, and will be released for PC and consoles too. Releases on all three platforms are scheduled for 2022. The studio has stated that the decision for making a battle royale game was due to the success of their previous games like MaskGun and Silly Royale which focus on social and multiplayer interactions.

It would be interesting to see what new flavor the game would adopt to go up against dominant games in the BR genre like BGMI (PUBG India), PUBG Mobile, and Free Fire and if it would be able to match their quality and polish. However, the initial reveal look interesting enough to create some anticipation for the upcoming Indus.

PUBG maker is suing Apple, Google, & Free Fire developer Garena

Sean — Fri, 14 Jan 2022 09:56:19 +0000

The develop behind PUBG (PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds) has just recently filed a lawsuit against major companies, Apple and Google, along with the maker of “PUBG Clones” developer, Garena as well.

According to The Verge, Krafton Inc is suing Garena for developing two games that are allegedly a copy of its existing title, PUBG: Battlegrounds. This was the original battle royale game that kicked off the BR trend while also spawning its popular mobile spin offs as well. However, Garena is facing the lawsuit owing to its two mobile games, namely Free Fire and Free Fire Max. Furthermore, the company is even suing the two tech giants Apple and Google for distributing the game.

Update on the below:

1. The directors said it's not a PUBG movie, despite basically being a PUBG movie.

2. Krafton said they are considering suing given the similarities to the PUBG IP.

3. You can watch it with English subs here: https://t.co/lS1SfdTRhj https://t.co/pBdcsqZttn

— Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) August 15, 2021

According to an official statement from Krafton, “Free Fire and Free Fire Max extensively copy numerous aspects of Battlegrounds, both individually and in combination, including Battlegrounds’ copyrighted unique game opening “air drop” feature, the game structure and play, the combination and selection of weapons, armor, and unique objects, locations, and the overall choice of color schemes, materials, and textures.”

Krafton is also accusing Google for hosting YouTube videos with gameplay of the two games as well as “numerous posts containing a feature-length Chinese film that is nothing more than a blatantly infringing live action dramatization of Battlegrounds.” For those unaware, Garena’s Free Fire and Free Fire Max is available in both App Store and Play Store for free. The PUBG developer even added that Garena has earned hundreds of millions from in game sales through Apple and Google app stores.

Indian Judge wants BGMI, Free Fire banned, suggest stricter gaming laws like China

Sean — Thu, 05 Aug 2021 12:09:58 +0000

An Indian Judge has recently written to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to ban BGMI (Battlegrounds Mobile India) and Free Fire in India. The Judge also suggested that the government should adopt the stricter gaming laws, similar to China.

The Indian Judge is ADJ Naresh Kumar Laka who recently wrote a letter to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to ban “PUBG India” (BGMI) and Garena Free Fire. He added that “The population of the country applauded your decision in banning the infamous game PUBG Mobile, which has had a disastrous negative impact on children’s development. But, like the earlier PUBG, two comparable apps, Free Fire (Garena Free Fire – Rampage) and PUBG India (Battlegrounds Mobile India), are now having a negative impact on children.”

The Judge has raised concerns about the negative effects of these online games and added that both titles are currently available for download on Google Play and should be banned as soon as possible. Furthermore, the Judge also said that the government should adopt laws that limit children’s exposure to such online video games. Laka even brought up regulations in China that limits children’s (under the age of 18) access to video games to 90 minutes per day.

Call of Duty: Mobile emerges as the top-grossing game in India after PUBG ban

Jed John Ikoba — Tue, 08 Sep 2020 22:00:18 +0000

On September 2, the Indian government announced a ban on 118 Chinese apps, one of which is PUBG Mobile. This is a sequel to an earlier ban that hit 59 Chinese apps. Data released by Sensor Tower has revealed the apps that have seen a rise in their download numbers and revenue since PUBG Mobile was banned.

The top three most downloaded apps in India after the ban, both for iOS and Android includes Garena Free Fire, Ludo King and Call of Duty. The data is for downloads spanning a four-day period ranging from September 2 to September 5 and during this short period, Garena downloads reached 2.1 million downloads and Ludo King reached 1.52 million downloads. Although “Call of Duty: Mobile” recorded only 1.15 million downloads in the period, the arena game has been downloaded 1.56 million times in the past 30 days and also rank first on the Apple App Store.

Garena Free Fire is a battle royale game developed by a company based in Singapore (Sea Ltd), while Call of Duty is jointly developed by Tencent Tianmei Studios and Activision Blizzard, while Ludo King is a virtual board game.

In terms of revenue, Call of Duty: Mobile is the top-grossing mobile game during the period, followed by Garena Free Fire. Among the top 5 top-grossing mobile games are Gardenscapes, Candy Crush Saga and Coin Master.

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